FallenClan
by 3rdbase101
Summary: During a Gathering, a comet falls from the sky. Cats believe it to be a sign that there is no StarClan, and form a group to follow the Clan that sent the object, FallenClan. Their Clan has only one motto; Convert or Die. Constructive criticism appreciated
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Another idea! Here are just the allegiances, and if you notice, the ThunderClan one is like my other story 'A Deadly Addition.' But don't worry; it won't take a course like that. There is no power of three, and it happens a couple of moons after the last PoT book. **

**ThunderClan**  
**Leader****:** Firestar-ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt

**Deputy****:** Brambleclaw-dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Apprentice, ****Rainpaw**

**Medicine Cat:** Jayfeather-gray tabby tom

**Apprentice, ****Smokepaw  
****Warriors:**

Graystripe-long-haired gray tom

Dustpelt-dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm-pale ginger she-cat

Brackenfur-golden brown tabby tom

**Apprentice, ****Flowerpaw**

Cloudtail-long-haired white tom

Thornclaw-golden brown tabby tom

Squirrelflight-dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Ferncloud-pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat, green eyes

Leafpool-light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, former medicine cat

Spiderleg-long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

**Apprentice, ****Redpaw**

Birchfall-light brown tabby tom

Whitewing-white she-cat with green eyes,

Berrynose-cream-colored tom

Hazeltail-small gray-and-white she-cat

Mousewhisker-gray-and-white tom

Cinderheart-gray tabby she-cat  
**Apprentice, ****Ivypaw**

Lionblaze-golden tabby tom

**Apprentice, Dovepaw**

Poppyfrost-tortoiseshell she-cat

Foxleap-reddish tabby tom

Toadstep-black-and-white tom

Rosepetal-dark cream she-cat

Briarfur-dark brown she-cat

Bumblestripe-pale gray tom with black stripes

Blossompatch-tortoiseshell and white she-cat

**Apprentices:**  
Dovepaw-gray she-cat

Ivypaw-white and brown tabby she-cat

Flowerpaw - Light cream colored she-cat

Smokepaw-dark gray, almost black she-cat, medicine cat apprentice

Redpaw-Dark brown tabby tom with one ginger foot

Rainpaw-blue/gray she-cat with green eyes  
**Queens:**

Daisy-cream long-furred cat from the horseplace; Mother of Spiderleg's kit, Eaglekit (dark brown tom with cream flecks)

Sorreltail-tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes; Mother of Brackenfur's kits, Spottedkit (tortoiseshell she-cat), Nightkit (pure black tom), and Ravenkit (Black tom with a white ear)

Brightheart-white she-cat with ginger patches; Mother of Cloudtail's kits, Snowkit (pure white she-cat) Lightkit (Light ginger she-cat) Patchkit (White tom with ginger patches) and Frostkit (pure white tom).

Icecloud-white she-cat; Mother of Thornclaw's kits, Dawnkit (golden brown she-cat with white rings around her tail) and Skykit (white she-cat)  
**Elders:**

Longtail-pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight

**ShadowClan**

**Leader:** Blackstar-large white tom with huge jet-black paws

**Deputy:** Russetfur-dark ginger she-cat

**Medicine Cat**: Littlecloud-very small tabby tom  
**Apprentice, Flametail**

**Warriors:  
**Oakfur-small brown tom

Rowanclaw-ginger tom

Smokefoot-black tom

**Apprentice: Featherpaw**

Toadfoot-dark brown tom

Crowfrost-black-and-white tom

Ratscar-brown tom with long scar across his back

Tawnypelt-tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Apprentice: Fawnpaw**

Olivenose-tortoiseshell she-cat

Owlclaw-light brown tabby tom

Shrewfoot-gray she-cat with black feet

**Apprentice: Spottedpaw**

Scorchfur-dark gray tom

Redwillow-mottled brown and ginger tom

Tigerheart-dark brown tabby tom

**Apprentice: Dapplepaw**

Dawnpelt-cream-furred she-cat

Pinewhisker-black she-cat

Ferretfur-cream and gray tom

Startlingflight-ginger tom

Kinkfur-tabby she-cat with long fur that sticks out at all angles

Ivytail-black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

**Apprentices:  
**Flametail-ginger tom  
Spottedpaw (tortoiseshell she-cat with a white ear)

Dapplepaw (tortoiseshell she-cat with white patches)

Fawnpaw (light brown she-cat with white flecks)

Featherpaw (light gray she-cat)

**Queens:  
**Applefur-mottled brown she-cat, Mother of Smokefoot's kits, Sootkit (light gray she-cat with brown flecks) and Duskkit (mottled brown tom)

Snowbird-pure white she-cat, pregnant with Owlclaw's kits.

**Elders:  
**Whitewater-white she-cat with long fur, blind in one eye

**WindClan**

**  
Leader**: Onestar-brown tabby tom

**Deputy:** Ashfoot-gray she-cat

**Medicine Cat:** Kestrelflight-mottled gray tom

**Apprentice: Whitepaw**

**Warriors:  
**Crowfeather-dark gray tom

Owlwhisker-light brown tabby tom

Whitetail-small white she-cat

Nightcloud-black she-cat

Gorsetail-very pale gray-and-white tom with blue eyes

Weaselfur-ginger tom with white paws

Harespring-brown-and-white tom

Leaftail-dark tabby tom with amber eyes

Antpelt-brown tom with one black ear

Emberfoot-gray tom with two dark paws

**Apprentice: Adderpaw**

Heathertail-light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Breezepelt-black tom with amber eyes

Sedgewhisker-light brown tabby she-cat

Swallowtail-dark gray she-cat

Sunstrike-tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead

Whiskerclaw-light brown tom

Furzeleaf-gray and white she-cat

Boulderheart-large pale gray tom

**Apprentices:**  
Adderpaw-light gray tom

Whitepaw-black tom with a white belly and muzzle with yellow green eyes

**Queens:  
**Whitetail-small white she-cat, mother of Antpelt's kits, Falconkit (white tom with a black tail tip), Rabbitkit (light brown tom) and Marshkit (brown tom with white paws)

Nightcloud-black she-cat, mother of Crowfeather's kits, Darkkit (black tom) Shadekit (dark gray tom)  
**Elders:  
**None

**RiverClan**

Leader: Leopardstar-unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat

Deputy: Mistyfoot-gray she-cat with blue eyes

Medicine Cat: Mothwing-dappled golden she-cat  
**Apprentice, Willowshine**

Warriors:  
Reedwhisker-black tom

Rippletail-dark gray tabby tom

**Apprentice: Silverpaw**

Graymist-pale gray tabby she-cat

Mintfur-light gray tabby tom

Pebblefoot-mottled gray tom

Mallownose-light brown tabby tom

**Apprentice: Grasspaw**

Robinwing-tortoiseshell-and-white tom

Beetlewhisker-brown-and-white tabby tom

Duskfur-brown tabby she-cat

Mosspelt-tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Hollowclaw-dark brown tabby tom

**Apprentice: Bluepaw**

Troutfern-pale gray tabby she-cat

Mosytail-brown and white she-cat

Rushfoot-light brown tabby tom

**Apprentices:  
**Willowshine-gray tabby she-cat

Grasspaw-mottled brown tom with bright green eyes

Silverpaw-silvery gray she-cat

Bluepaw-blue-gray tom

**Queens:**  
Icewing-white she-cat with blue eyes, pregnant with Reedwhisker's kits.

Minnowtail-dark gray she-cat, mother of Pebblefoot's kits, Stormkit (light gray tom) Stonekit (mottled gray tom) Fogkit (light gray she-cat) Mistkit (dark gray she-cat)

**Elders:  
**Dawnflower-pale gray she-cat


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the first _real_ chapter of my story. Read and review!**

**ThunderClan – **

"Dovepaw," Ivypaw mewed as she went and sat beside her sister. "Do you think that Firestar will let us go to the Gathering today? We missed the last one."

"I'm not sure, Ivypaw," Dovepaw answered. She glanced up quickly at the High Rock, where Firestar was with Sandstorm, grooming her pelt with soft strokes. "He should, though. We proved ourselves. Cinderheart said that you were really good at tracking, and Lionblaze has been bragging to Jayfeather that I can hunt better than Sandstorm."

Ivypaw gasped. "That's a really good compliment! I wish Cinderheart would do that for me," Ivypaw mewed, burying her head in her paws.

Dovepaw batted Ivypaw's ears playfully. "She does! I swear to StarClan she talks off Poppyfrost's ears _every_ day. 'Ivypaw is such a great apprentice,' and 'She tracks better than any cat I know.' Cinderheart loves having you as an apprentice."

"Are you _really_ sure?" the white and brown tabby she-cat asked with uncertainty in her voice.

"Yes," Dovepaw sighed. "Really sure." The two she-cats twined their tails, and quickly released them. "I promised," the apprentice told her sister.

"Cats of ThunderClan," Firestar called. Dovepaw looked up sharply, and saw her leader standing on top of High Rock with Sandstorm by his side. "I have decided who will go to the gathering tonight."

All the cats of ThunderClan were beneath High Rock, waiting impatiently for the announcement. "You'll probably go," Ivypaw sighed, her tail drooping. "You're the better apprentice."

"I have decided that I, Brambleclaw, Jayfeather, Smokepaw, Sandstorm, Cinderheart, Cloudtail, Brackenfur, Redpaw, and Ivypaw will go," Firestar announced. He looked around the clearing and nodded to himself. If any other Clan decided to attack, they would be fine to defend, and there would be a good fighting force at the Gathering. Firestar hoped that the other Clans wouldn't stoop as low to do that, but you always had to be prepared.

The cats that were called to go to the Gathering stood in the clearing, waiting for Firestar to take them, while the others moved off. "Good luck," Dovepaw mewed to Ivypaw. "I knew you were going anyway. Cinderheart has too much influence." She smiled, and padded to the apprentice's den, yawning loudly as she went.

"I'm so excited," Ivypaw whispered to Redpaw, who was sitting to her left.

"So am I," Redpaw mewed, nodding his head. "Adderpaw from WindClan is fun to talk to. He makes fun of RiverClan."

Ivypaw shook her head. Toms, they really didn't care much about anything other than fighting and making fun of other Clans. She, however, had found out a ShadowClan fighting move from a young she-cat named Featherpaw.

The truth was, Ivypaw couldn't wait anymore. There was so much that she could learn from the other Clans! Why did she have to wait for Firestar, who was as slow as a slug?

Just as Ivypaw was going to yowl in frustration, Firestar jumped down from High Rock, and joined the group waiting near the thorn tunnel.

"Let's go," he mewed, and Ivypaw almost shot off at his words. She curbed the speed, however, and forced herself into a slow trot alongside Redpaw.

**ShadowClan – **

Blackstar sat amongst the group he called for the Gathering. Tawnypelt sat proudly beside Rowanclaw, and talked to Russetfur. Fawnpaw was tackling Dapplepaw, growling playfully. Littlecloud paced and talked briefly to Flametail as he passed. Applefur's latest litter of kits were born weak, and he worried for them.

Pinewhisker, the newly made warrior, was currently sweet talking Tigerheart, and the tom seemed to like it. However, Scorchfur looked on jealously, hoping to talk to the young she-cat himself.

"We are leaving now," Blackstar mewed loudly. "Let's go!" The cats around him stood up, and followed their leader single file out of camp. They passed the many pines towering over their heads, but instead of being alienated, the cats felt at home.

The soft mat of pine needles that coated the ground muffled their steps, and no bracken got in their way to rustle. Pinewhisker looked quickly into the night sky, deciding if it would be a good Gathering. The full moon shone bright through the dense trees, and no clouds immediately surrounded the moon. They nestled together on the horizon, as if going to sleep. That was good; StarClan must be happy with the four Clans.

The trees thinned out, and were replaced with a seemingly barren landscape. The reek of fish made every cat wrinkle their noses. "I hate that smell," Scorchfur whispered to Pinewhisker. "I don't understand how the fat water rats can _eat_ those things!" Scorchfur spat the last few words out, as if he had eaten a particularly bad piece of crowfood.

The black she-cat shook her head. "I bet they think eating lizards and toads are gross, too. They just haven't tried it yet. I personally think that the toad is the juiciest. Remember when Owlclaw caught that rabbit? That was not very good, too gamey."

Scorchfur just nodded dumbly, happy that the she-cat he liked was talking to him. Feeling mischievous, Pinewhisker twined her body around his, and then rushed up to the front of the line, behind Blackstar.

"Are you going to stay there all night, Scorchfur?" Russetfur called as she looked over the line of cats behind her. Pinewhisker sniggered at the stunned tom, who finally began to walk again. She glanced at the island, which was finally becoming visible. One Clan was already there, most likely RiverClan.

"Hurry up," Blackstar mewed, ushering his cats faster. He saw either ThunderClan or WindClan moving quickly on the opposite bank, heading for the island.

Wanting to be the second Clan there, like always, he rushed rapidly to the tree bridge without waiting for the rest of his Clan, assured that they were right behind him. Blackstar jumped quickly over, and bounded to his spot in the tree.

Waiting for Leopardstar to dip her head first, Blackstar copied her, showing the least respect possible. Now it was only up to time to bring WindClan and ThunderClan, and he would have to wait.

**WindClan – **

Ashfoot proudly walked behind Onestar, her tail high and her eyes blazing. WindClan was strong under the brown tabby tom, much better than it had been under Tallstar. Even though he had been a good leader, Tallstar left WindClan seeming weak. The only good choice he made, however, was making Onewhisker Onestar.

Crowfeather grumbled under his breath, trudging behind his mother. Ashfoot turned around and hissed at her only son. He had been this way ever since Hollyleaf revealed that she and her siblings were his kits with Leafpool. Although all of WindClan had been surprised, they felt better when Nightcloud divulged that she was going to have his kits again.

Truly, Ashfoot felt sorry for the black she-cat. She loved Crowfeather, really. He was just the tom who took her as a mate because he wanted to show he was loyal. "If only Eaglekit survived instead of him," Ashfoot muttered, grabbing the attention of Furzeleaf.

"Who was Eaglekit?" she asked expectantly, Sunstrike and Swallowtail listening in also.

"Oh, Ashfoot," Kestrelflight mewed suddenly. "Barkface told me how Eaglekit died. Don't grieve over his death; you still have another wonderful son, and three healthy grandkits."

Ashfoot smiled inwardly. She didn't grieve over his death; she just wished that their lives were opposite. It would Crowkit that was dead, and Eaglefeather that was living. "You're right, Kestrelflight," Ashfoot sighed, faking sadness.

Whitepaw, the medicine cat apprentice, brushed against the deputy, and quietly whispered, "Kestrelflight has no idea what you mean, does he?" This time, Ashfoot smiled for the whole Clan to see. Whitepaw always made her do that.

The smell of ThunderClan became prominent near the lake's edge. Sunstrike faked choking, making Gorsetail laugh. They spotted Firestar on top of the bridge, jumping down to the island. He dipped his head, and Leopardstar and Blackstar repeated the action.

Onestar hissed. Was the relationship between ThunderClan and WindClan so tight now that they didn't even wait for each other to go to the Gatherings anymore? It made WindClan look like the lazy Clan, because WindClan was closer than the other Clans except RiverClan, yet they arrived latest.

"Move quicker," Onestar demanded, trying to rush to the island faster. If Firestar wanted a war, then so be it.

**RiverClan – **Leopardstar lounged in the branches of the tree lazily, waiting for Onestar to finally show. She had seemingly waited moons before Blackstar and ShadowClan came, but Firestar and his Clan came quicker than the previous.

It was getting so tedious, waiting for so long. She hadn't much to do, other than watch her Clan mates, which is what she was doing now. Mistyfoot sat like any good deputy, at the base of the tree. Pebblefoot talked excitedly to a few other warriors, most likely about his and Minnowtail's kits.

Mallownose and Robinwing stood by themselves, looking at the three leaders in the tree, waiting for the Gathering to start. Close by, Silverpaw talked with Ivypaw with Bluepaw jumping in sometimes. Rippletail and Graymist sat near the apprentices, monitoring the information passed between them, and twitching their tails every once in a while to indicate that the eager RiverClan cats were giving away too much.

Onestar finally appeared with his Clan, apparently angry with something. Leopardstar shrugged. If it didn't involve her Clan, she couldn't care less. WindClan had always been weak, however, so it meant that she didn't need to worry much.

"Finally," Blackstar hissed under his breath, causing Onestar to whip around and bare his teeth.

"It is a _Gathering!"_ Firestar growled, before addressing the gathered cats. "I will begin this gathering," he announced. "Prey is running well in ThunderClan, and we have a new kit, Eaglekit. Other than that, nothing much has happened."

Blackstar stepped forward after Firestar said his piece. "ShadowClan is also prey rich. We have a new warrior, Pinewhisker, and Snowbird is expecting more kits, making ShadowClan strong."

"Pinewhisker! Pinewhisker!" The gathered cats chanted, the ShadowClan cats the loudest.

"Yes, that is good news for ShadowClan," Leopardstar mewed sarcastically. "Unlike the rest of your Clans, it has not been all mice and moonlight. Tansykit drowned in the river, and Pouncetail has died. Other than that, the prey is beginning to _swim_ once more."

As Onestar stepped forward, a bright flash of light came from above. Many cats looked up to see what it was, and were startled to see that the clouds fully covered the moon. Instead, a large object hurtled to the ground, and that was what made the light.

Pinewhisker screeched, the object was headed straight for her. With a mighty yowl, Scorchfur pulled the stunned black she-cat away from the object, letting it land where Pinewhisker was before.

"What is _that_?" Whitepaw asked, awed at the large object now sitting in the exact center of the island. It was bigger than four cats put together, and smoke came from within it.

Firestar's green eyes were large. "I don't know," he whispered, just loud enough for every cat to hear. "Whatever it is, however, StarClan must have sent it."

**A/N: Didn't expect that, did you? Please review... I need reviews to continue my stories!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's a more interesting chapter, I think. Please read and review!**

A stunned silence followed the fall of the object from the sky and Firestar's last comment. Many cats watched with wide eyes, staring at their leaders and the sky. Not one of them could comprehend what just happened, but a white tom had a gist.

With small, shuffled steps, the tom inched closer to the object, not noticed by the fearful cats. Some whimpered in terror, trying to ignore Pinewhisker's yowled thanks to Scorchfur. He drowned them all out, and with a final thread of bravery, he reached out and touched the large object.

Immediately, he was surrounded by whispers. "Cloudtail," they mewed. "You have been chosen to lead a new Clan, CometClan, and be known as Cloudfall. We are FallenClan, and we sent this comet to show you that there _is_ no StarClan. Every time you see a comet blaze across the sky, you will honor us, and we will grant you with nine lives and your new name. Lead CometClan well, Cloudfall."

While Cloudtail was being told his destiny by FallenClan, a she-cat got the light of fury in her eyes. "There is a reason StarClan sent this to us," Dapplepaw yowled. "That reason is to show that Onestar isn't right for his position!"

Many cats turned to her with incredulous looks on their faces. Some hissed in defending their leader, but others yowled in agreement.

"What?" Onestar snarled, jumping down from his perch. "I have about as much right as Leopardstar, Blackstar and Firestar to be leader!"

"No," Cloudtail mewed. He jumped upon the object, a comet it was called, and faced the gathered cats. "StarClan has _not_ sent this comet to us."

"StarClan hasn't? Then who?" Tawnypelt asked, confused. She turned to the cat next to her, who also shrugged.

"What is a _comet_?" Fawnpaw asked, rolling the unfamiliar word around in her mouth.

Cloudtail puffed up his fur importantly. "A comet is what blazes across the night sky every once in a while. You take it as a sign from StarClan, but I have been smart. I knew that there was no StarClan, and this object was sent to show that. The only true Clan of the sky in FallenClan."

Crowfeather snorted in amusement. "_FallenClan_?" he asked, chortling to himself. "There is only StarClan."

"Lies," Cloudtail hissed. "Why then, when the comet fell, the clouds covered the moon? FallenClan has sent the comet to prove that they rule the skies. Join me and the _real_ Clan of the sky!"

Ivypaw thought quietly to herself. "Yes," she whispered. "That is right. StarClan has always seemed so outlandish, and I have never really seen any proof that they exist."

Mothwing stood up. "I'll join you Cloudtail."

Leopardstar gasped. "Why, Mothwing? You were chosen by StarClan as a medicine cat. Remember the moth's wing outside Mudfur's den?"

The golden tabby she-cat shook her head. "That never was from StarClan. Hawkfrost put that outside Mudfur's den to make it seem like I was chosen. I've never had any dreams from them," she explained.

To everyone's surprised, she turned and jumped on the comet with Cloudtail. "Any other cat that will join us?" she yowled for all to hear.

Reluctantly, Furzeleaf stood up, and padded to the comet, where she sat in front of. By seeing another no believing cat, Russetfur moved from her position as deputy, and stood proudly at the base of the FallenClan relic. Tigerheart, seeing his deputy confess her disbelief in StarClan, padded to her, much to the disappointment of Pinewhisker. Three RiverClan cats, Mallownose, Robinwing, and Graymist sat with their new Clan mates.

"What?" Cloudtail asked accusingly at the remaining cats. "Is there no one from my home Clan that is willing to join? They say ThunderClan cats are supposed to be smart," he scoffed, still scanning the clearing.

Ivypaw stood up, and crossed the clearing solitarily, the eyes from every cat watching her every move. "Is that it?" Cloudtail inquired. "Fine, if you refuse to join, then leave."

Everyone looked incredulously at the so called 'leader' of the false warrior ancestors. He couldn't just tell them what to do, for they were the true Clans of the forests.

A snarl escaped Cloudtail's bared teeth. He unsheathed his claws, and leapt down from the comet. He went to Blackstar, and stood toe to toe with the ShadowClan tom. They were equal in everything, height, size, and even color. The only difference was Blackstar's one black paw. "Leave," Cloudtail spat in Blackstar's face.

"I have no use for fighting with a weak cat and some followers. They will come back within a quarter moon, I bet on _StarClan._" With a growl, Blackstar turned, and summoned the rest of his cats with a flick of his tail. They were over the tree bridge in seconds, heading for their home.

Onestar was the next to leave, looking angrily at his traitorous cat before fully leaving. Leopardstar followed closely behind him, not even glancing at the group near the comet.

Only Firestar was left. "Go," he commanded his own cats.

Brambleclaw shook his head. "We can't leave you, Firestar. Kin or no kin, they will kill you if we are not here."

"Fine," Firestar sighed, and then turned to his nephew. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. "You all were raised well, and under the influence of StarClan. Why the sudden disbelievance now?"

"I have always thought StarClan was not real," Cloudtail mewed. "When I was a kit, Ashfur and Ferncloud used to tell me I was crazy, and there was StarClan. I never believed them, or Brindleface, and now look at what I had been granted."

"Come home," Firestar mewed, begging his nephew. "All of you need to go home. You are an asset to your Clans, and shouldn't leave!"

The large white tom looked away from the ginger ThunderClan leader, who had to be led away from his kin by Brambleclaw.

Once ThunderClan left, Cloudtail mewed directions to his supporters. "We must build a camp here. This is where CometClan will live. We will hunt everything, because we can, and we will learn from each other. Soon, we will be the best Clan in the forest, because we believe in the true Clan of the sky."

Robinwing blinked twice at Cloudtail. "There is a place on this island, the place where RiverClan stayed when the twoleg kits were ruining our camp. That was perfect."

Mallownose nodded eagerly. "Please take me there," Cloudtail mewed, and waited for his warriors. They padded away into the dense growth, and when they emerged, a large open clearing welcomed them, a small stream babbling through the center.

"This is perfect!" exclaimed Cloudtail. "It has the qualities every Clan needs. Forest for ThunderClan, a large open clearing for WindClan, a stream for RiverClan, and a marshy place near the base of the steam like ShadowClan was once. We shall make a warrior's den in the old badger set near the edge of the forest. And –"

"Excuse me, Cloudtail," Furzeleaf mewed apologetically. "WindClan sleeps under the stars unless it is either very cold or raining. Do you think we could do that here?"

The white tom cocked his head, thinking deeply. "What does everyone else think?" he asked, looking at his small amount of followers.

Tigerheart nodded, "It would be a change, and I would like to see the Clan of the Sky before I fall asleep." He glanced at his new Clan mates, who began nodding eagerly.

"So be it," Cloudtail decided. "Would anyone else like to put in anything?"

"Not in camp, no," Robinwing mewed eagerly. "However, we will teach you how to swim, and catch fish, no?"

"Yes, you will. Ivypaw and I will teach you to hunt mice, and other forest creatures, Russetfur and Tigerheart will show us to catch lizards and toads, and Furzeleaf will show us the hard task of catching rabbits. Understood?" the tom mewed, for all to hear. They dipped their head in respect.

"Good, the medicine den will be in that old badger set, then. The apprentices will sleep outside, but in that small cave in the indent in the ground, and the warriors will sleep under that bramble bush. I, however, will sleep in a tree branch. Tomorrow we will worry about it more," Cloudtail told them, "but now sleep. I must get my lives and name. I will be back."

He stalked off into the semi familiar undergrowth, drawing air over his scent glands. The comet was near, and soon he reached it.

The white smoke that came from it previously was starting to taper off, coming off in short bursts. With newfound confidence, Cloudtail walked eagerly up to the comet, and touched his nose to it.

Immediately, instead of hearing whispers, he was jerked to a place where bright light shone from all around. He seemed to be in the middle of a lake; residing on only a small piece of land that one cat could fit onto.

A battle yowl brought his attention to a light brown tabby tom walking on the water, creating a path of land behind him.

"Welcome, Cloudtail. I am Horsefall, the previous leader of SnowClan. We believe in FallenClan, the only true Clan of the Sky. My past Clan mates and rival Clan mates will now give you your lives and name," the tabby mewed. Suddenly, eight other cats appeared beside him, all varying in pelts.

Horsefall stepped forth first. "In your first life you will show courage, and pleasure in defending your Clan. Let it be so." As the tom muttered the last words, Cloudtail could feel the courage pouring into him.

A pretty gray she-cat stepped forward after Horsefall. "My name is Graypetal," she mewed, dipping her head. "In your second life, you will encourage strong warriors and yourself in fighting. Let it be so." She too whispered the last words, and another life was given to Cloudtail.

"In your third life, you will lighten the situation of death and famine. Let it be so." A tortoiseshell tom mewed. Cloudtail felt the life, but not as much as he was paying attention to the tom. "I'm Blackpatch, by the way."

The white tom laughed as a coal black tom stepped forward. "Name's Nightstorm. In your fourth life, you will be the quickest cat to and fro battle. Let it be so."

A large white she-cat appeared, her icy blue eyes sparkling. "Hey, Cloudtail," she whispered. "I'm Mousecloud." Louder, she mewed, "In your fifth life, you will be able to predict what moves will be used against you. Let it be so." This life felt different, as if he could detect what each cat was feeling at the moment.

"Hawkfire," a ginger and brown tom mewed. "In your sixth life, you will care for all sick and injured cats as if you were medicine cat. Let it be so."

No longer did Cloudtail feel anxious about meeting the Clan in the Sky. Instead, he just felt joyous to finally be on the right track, and serving the true Clan that watched over the skies.

"In your seventh life, you will get many blessings from FallenClan. Let it be so," a dark brown she-cat with a white star on her chest mewed. "I'm Starheart, if you wanted to know." Blackpatch snorted in amusement.

"'If you wanted to know.' Wow, Starheart. Of course you would want to know if you were meeting a bunch of cats you never knew existed before," the tom laughed. Starheart snarled at the tom, and unsheathed her claws.

"Don't mess with me, DarkClan cat," she growled.

Like he so often did, Blackpatch laughed again. "_Right_, like I'm afraid of a StreamClan cat."

"Hush, both of you," a pure white she-cat hissed. "He's almost done, and _then_ you can argue." They both became quiet then, showing great respect to the she-cat.

Instead of her that moved forward, it was a ginger tom that did. "I'm Flamepelt, and I'll give you your eighth life. In your eighth life, you will fight with the power of all FallenClan, and grow accustomed to winning. Let it be so." The life entered Cloudtail, and suddenly, he felt full and groggy, as if he was going to go to sleep.

The tom stepped backwards, and the she-cat approached him. "Welcome, Cloudtail. I am Fallingsnow, the first cat to die in any Clan, and so FallenClan was named after me. I give you, as your ninth and final life, freedom from anything that binds you to your previous life. Start afresh, anew. To lead CometClan, you will begin again. Every time a comet blazes across the sky, you will assemble your cats at Fallingcomet. We will give you a warning when our symbol will come again. Now, however, there is another thing I must do.

"We welcome you as Cloudfall, leader of CometClan!" Fallingsnow yowled. She lifted her head to the sky, and let out a yowl. It became louder and louder, until all the cats were yowling and the sound travelled far. Cloudfall was sure that the cats in 'StarClan' (if it existed, for that matter), could hear it.

Fallingsnow stopped, and the other cats disappeared. She went to the bridge, but before she went over, she glanced back. "You know, Cloudtail, that everything that defied you as a warrior of StarClan is now gone, including the warrior code. I expect more cats believing in FallenClan soon."

The pure white she-cat blinked twice at the tom, and then continued gracefully on the land bridge. What surprised Cloudfall most was the fact that the land became coated with water again once Fallingsnow crossed it. He sighed, and suddenly became awake, his nose on the comet.

A feeling of being watched prickled his pelt, and he looked up to see Mothwing watching his from atop Fallingcomet.

"Hello," she mewed pleasantly. "I've been waiting for you. Is FallenClan like the other cats say StarClan is?"

Cloudfall shook his head. "No," he told her. "It is much better. Come, let's go to camp. I'm tired."

"I understand, Cloudfall." Mothwing dipped her head, and started going in the direction of the forest.

"Wait!" he yowled. "How do you know my name?"

Mothwing _mrrowed_ in laughter. "You aren't the only one who gets dreams form FallenClan." She began to pad off again, Cloudfall at her side. When they reached the camp, he viewed his few cats sleeping peacefully in plain sight.

With a sigh, the white tom found a suitably branch, and jumped into it. He curled up, and fell asleep thinking of his dream. Fallingsnow wanted more cats believing in FallenClan. He would get more cats for her, no matter what the cost.

**A/N: A bit of a war-like Clan FallenClan is. It was hard to come up with the nine lives thing without trying to copy the Erins. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here's another chapter! I'm surprised I got it out this soon! It's probably because I was stuck inside all day from the snow. Read, review and enjoy!**

Birds calling. That was the first thing that Cloudfall heard as he rose up from the dredges of a deep sleep. His body felt slow as he stretched, shaking the feeling of being a traitor away.

His dream still haunted him. Firestar wouldn't leave Cloudfall alone, begging for him to return, and bring back the warriors. Near the end, however, the leader was surrounded by many cats, all warriors of FallenClan. They growled and spat at Firestar, and when he tried to run, they attacked, killing him on the spot.

The sunlight streaming through the trees brought the large white tom's attention to the clearing. Already the CometClan cats were up, some milling around, Robinwing teaching Ivypaw the technique to catching fish.

He cleared his throat, and they immediately focused on him. "Since we will be living like the false-believing Clans, we shall have the same positions. I, of course, will be leader, with Russetfur as deputy, since she has the experience. Mothwing will be medicine cat, and I have decided who shall get Ivypaw."

Cloudfall paused, scanning the clearing. "Under the presence of the Clan of the Sky, I shall announce that we have an apprentice to give. All have great talents to show her, but one has been chosen by our true ancestors. Ivypaw, you shall learn and teach Robinwing from this time on, until FallenClan decides you have learned enough to become a protector of your Clan," the large white tom yowled, mimicking the words spoken to him. A ghostly purr sounded from next to Cloudfall, but he ignored it, knowing very well it was Fallingsnow.

Ivypaw went to touch noses with Robinwing, but Cloudfall interrupted them with a snarl. "That is what the Clans that follow StarClan do. We are different!" He paused, watching Ivypaw sit back down on her haunches. He lifted his head towards the sun, and yowled like Fallingsnow did the night before.

Surprised, the CometClan cats did not follow, until Ivypaw started. Catching on, they yowled, truly becoming a Clan that followed FallenClan.

As abruptly as it started, Cloudfall cut it off. "Now," he mewed. "Since we have covered the topic of Ivypaw's mentor, I can move onto more important things. There is no real way for the other Clans to invade other than the tree bridge, so we must push that into the water. Otherwise, I will take a small patrol and we will search the other territories for cats to join."

Russetfur glanced up at the new leader. "Who shall do what?" she asked, wanting to get out of camp and search.

The small amount of cats looked up at him excitedly. "I will take Furzeleaf, Tigerheart, Ivypaw, and Robinwing. Russetfur, you will be in charge of Mallownose, Graymist, and Mothwing in moving the log. We want no other clan to be able to reach us. Come," he mewed, flicking his tail, and jumping over the tree bridge for the last time.

"Follow closely, and keep your paws light," the white tom instructed, racing through the moors of WindClan territory. He slowed down behind a small gorse bush, the sound of insects chirping around him. He inhaled deeply, scenting many things, but finding one that he wanted greatly; a lone cat.

He moved towards the figure close to where he was standing, and the small white she-cat turned viciously, claws unsheathed.

"Whitetail!" Furzeleaf exclaimed, rushing towards her past friend. "What are you doing out of the nursery?"

The question took Cloudfall by surprise, and he immediately began looking for the kits. Finally he found them, all huddled beneath their mother, for they were very small. They looked at the leader of CometClan with large blue eyes, which all kits have when they first open their eyes.

"Onestar is raging through the camp, complaining how you left, and he began to get out of hand. Also, I… I had a dream. A cat named Blackpatch told me to join the clan of new, so here I am," Whitetail mewed, shuffling her feet.

She looked at Cloudfall with fear in her eyes, the three kits shaking beneath her. "Fine, you may join us. You seem like a great addition, and your kits will add to our strength." He turned to his cats. "Furzeleaf," he commanded. "Take Whitetail and her kits to camp, and then come back."

The white tom glanced sharply at the queen. "You can help the others move the log. First, however, what are your kits names?" he asked more warmly.

Pushing the kits out, Whitetail recited their names. "The white tom is Falconkit, the light brown tom is Rabbitkit, and the brown tom with white paws is Marshkit."

Cloudfall cocked his head, wanting to hear one more thing form the new CometClan queen.

Taking the hint, she inhaled deeply. On the exhale, she mewed, "Their father is of pure WindClan descent, and is Antpelt."

He nodded, and Furzeleaf took them to the CometClan camp, ushering the kits faster. The patrol took the opposite direction, and headed deeper into WindClan territory, to ThunderClan, where everything seemed so familiar.

The jumped the stream, and headed into ThunderClan territory. Tigerheart brushed some bracken, making it rustle. The leader hissed, causing the cats to freeze. "ThunderClan lesson. Never brush the bracken, and _step lightly!_"

Tigerheart bowed his head in shame, and slowly they started moving again. There was no scent of lone cats, just the fading scent of the cats that returned from the Gathering last night. "Come," Cloudfall sighed, "There are no cats here to pick up."

They rushed on, trying to keep silent, although the bracken kept rustling. Cloudfall heard it, but ignored the annoying sound that kept giving away their position. They would learn how to move quietly eventually. A voice called his name, but it had the quality of being far away, so he brushed it off as a voice from FallenClan.

He dodged a large bramble bush, and passed the Sky Oak. The white leader felt a rush of memories, and wanted to say goodbye to the tree that had served as his thinking spot when he was in ThunderClan, but there was no time.

The rustling got louder as they neared the ShadowClan border, and finally Cloudfall just snapped.

"Stop the rustling," he hissed angrily. The patrol stopped, and looked with confused faces towards their leader. The rustling, however, kept on. Unsheathing his claws, the tom faced the source of the noise as it came closer and closer.

What came out was not the fierce ThunderClan warrior he was expecting, but Daisy, who was panting heavily.

"Why didn't you stop?" she asked, trying to catch her breath. "I called for you, but yet you didn't stop. You didn't even slow down!"

The tom shook his head. "I thought it was from FallenClan," he muttered. Louder, he asked the cream she-cat a question. "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you," she admitted. "I felt that since you left, I should join you in your Clan," Daisy explained.

Sheathing his claws, Cloudfall sat down, indicating with a tail flick that his patrol should also. "You cannot fight. We are going to be an elite band of cats that all can fight, even the queens."

Daisy stuck out her chin stubbornly. "I will learn then. You can't stop me," she whined.

"You _really_ want to learn to fight, and will believe in FallenClan?" he asked, baiting the she-cat.

She shifted uneasily. "I will learn, and do everything you tell me to do," she mewed with determination.

Looking deep into her eyes, Cloudfall knew that she wasn't lying about learning, just a little uncomfortable about hurting another. He nodded, and glanced around for the bundle of energy named Eaglekit.

"Where is your son?" The white leader asked, missing the small tom.

"I needed to get out of camp inconspicuously, so I said that I needed to make dirt. Unfortunately, I had to leave him behind," Daisy mewed, not a sense of loss in her voice.

"Fine," Cloudfall mewed gruffly. "We need to hurry, or we will be caught by a sunhigh patrol."

The now five cats moved on into ShadowClan territory, and Tigerheart sighed in reminiscence. Ivypaw scented, like Robinwing told her too, and smiled mischievously.

She stalked forward, and finally found what she had been searching for. Crowfrost was stalking a toad, unaware that he too was being stalked. As soon as the weight on his haunches shifted, getting prepared to jump, Ivypaw attacked. Quickly, with the help of Robinwing and Tigerheart, they pinned him down.

"Crowfrost," Cloudfall greeted in a monotonous voice, concealing the threat beneath it. "You are given a chance to be great under FallenClan. Do you accept?"

The black and white tom hissed. "Never!" he growled. "StarClan is the only real Clan of the skies!" Crowfrost struggled, and tried biting the white and brown apprentice.

A cold light came into Cloudtail's blue eyes. He felt a presence next to him, goading him on with his decision. "If he refuses to convert," Cloudtail snarled, "Then he must die."

Crowfrost's eyes widened at this sentence, and he struggled harder. Furzeleaf sprang out of the distance, and ran fast to the spot where the action was. "What did I miss?" she asked, barely panting.

"Killing a cat. He refuses to worship FallenClan," Cloudfall explained, motioning to Furzeleaf to do the honors.

"Surely," she mewed, unsheathing her claws, and stalking towards the tom, her tail lashing. With icy eyes he watched as she ripped his throat out, and the warriors moved away from his body.

A gasp drew his attention to deeper in the territory, where a small light gray she-cat watched them. Cloudfall rushed for her, and before she could run, she was pinned.

"Don't kill me," she pleaded. "I saw what you did to Crowfrost, and I like training to be a warrior. My mentor is fun, and I like living!" she wailed.

"Hush," Cloudtail commanded, sticking his tail in her mouth. "I will ask you one question that will determine whether or not you shall live."

Eyes wide, Featherpaw nodded, watching Cloudfall and his warriors warily. "What is it?" she asked, barely more than a whisper.

"Do you believe in StarClan?" he asked, as low as she did.

Featherpaw paused, and thought hard. This cat was the one that had left and formed his own clan, as Dapplepaw told her. They probably just killed Crowfrost because he didn't convert to 'FallenClan.' But she wanted to live. So she would say, "No." The last parts of her thoughts were converted into words.

Satisfied, Cloudfall let her up, and thrust her into the center of his patrol.

"Keep a good eye on her," he whispered to Furzeleaf. The she-cat nodded, and then switched her position with that of Daisy in the rear. They moved slowly through ShadowClan territory, Cloudfall keeping a sharp eye on the sun.

"We won't go to RiverClan territory, for there is a great chance of us being caught. We shall go straight to the camp," the white leader announced, ushering the group faster.

Furzeleaf saw Featherpaw's eyes darting, looking for a way to escape. She slashed her claws along the ShadowClan apprentice's muzzle, making her yelp in pain. The other cats, however, didn't even turn around, intent on getting to camp. "Don't even try it," she warned. Featherpaw bowed her head, and shuffled behind her captors, wishing that she had said she believed in StarClan.

The bridge was still there as they neared the island. Russetfur stopped their progress as they approached, and allowed the patrol to cross. She dipped her head to Cloudfall, and then continued coaching the other cats.

Cloudfall lead them through the forest, until he came to the camp. Whitetail settled happily into a hollow tree stump that apparently was the new nursery. Her kits played out front, and Ivypaw went to join them. Robinwing went to the stream with Furzeleaf following, and he taught her how to pull out fish. With a few tries, a small silver trout flew out. Furzeleaf purred happily, and brought the fish to Whitetail and her kits.

The white tom jumped into High Tree, and listened to the progress being made with the stump. A large splash later, the cats came streaming into the camp, yowling their victory.

"CometClan!" Cloudfall yowled. "We have pushed our only bridge into the water, ensuring our safety! Robinwing, Mallownose, Mothwing, and Graymist shall teach us to swim soon, so that we can get off our island. However, I have some things to do first."

The wind blew hard in the tom's ears, telling him exactly what to do. "We must have Daisy and Featherpaw prove that they believe in FallenClan. Once they do that, they shall be apprenticed, and given mentors. Follow me."

He jumped off of High Tree, and padded through the forest, coming to the Fallingcomet. He sat upon it, and demanded that Daisy and Featherpaw sit beside it.

"Very good so far," Fallingsnow mewed in his ear. "However, we want them to show they are loyal, and to do that, they must sacrifice their life liquid to us. Whitetail doesn't need to do this, since Horsefall sent her a dream, but this is what you have to do to every cat that joins not by birth from now on."

Cloudfall nodded. "Sacrifice yourself, a big part of yourself, to join this Clan, and forever you shall be seen as CometClan warriors," the white tom yowled, glaring at the two she-cats.

Daisy reluctantly unsheathed her claws, and made a gash in her chest. The blood spouted onto the Fallingcomet, and it glowed bright blue for a second, before stopping in wait for its second offering.

Featherpaw wailed in sadness. She was giving up her beliefs for this imaginary Clan, and sacrificing her blood to it.

"Featherpaw," Cloudfall warned. "If you do not show your loyalty, then I will have my warriors kill you on the spot."

She closed her eyes, and made a large cut over her eye. The Fallingcomet glowed blue once again, and stayed like that for a few seconds.

"Good," the CometClan leader mewed. "You have just thrown away anything of your previous life, and began a life as a CometClan cat. You can't go back now," he yowled.

"Under the presence of the Clan of the Sky, I shall announce that we have two apprentices to give. All have great talents to show them, but two have been chosen by our true ancestors. Daisy, you shall learn and teach Furzeleaf from this time on and be named Creampaw, until FallenClan decides you have learned enough to become a protector of your Clan. Featherpaw, you shall learn and teach Russetfur from this time on, until FallenClan decides you have learned enough to become a protector of your Clan."

Like before, the cats started to yowl, and birds flew from the trees in response. Featherpaw walked sadly up to Russetfur, but Tigerheart intercepted her.

"I know that you are feeling sad, but just think. We are following are true ancestors, and I'll help you get used to it," the dark brown tabby tom promised.

Featherpaw's ears perked up slightly. "Thanks, Tigerheart," she mewed. "I made a promise to FallenClan, and I intend to keep it."

**A/N: Read and review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Thank you snow day! Read and review. **

Fish in mouth, Featherpaw walked to Cloudfall. "Here," she mewed, placing it down at his paws. He glanced quickly at the cat giving the fish to him, then paused at held his stare when he realized it was Featherpaw.

"Have you seen the wrong in believing in false ancestors such as StarClan?" He asked, delving deep into her feelings for her true thoughts. "They have no true hold on what the cats do, and that is why we have to bring others into the light."

The gray she-cat dipped her head, and exhaled loudly. "You are right, Cloudfall," she mewed quietly, lying through her teeth. Although she had made a promise to serve FallenClan, it didn't mean that she had to enjoy it.

Cloudfall nodded, then bent his white head downward and took a bite of the fish. "Go get your mentor. Take a patrol around the four territories, starting with RiverClan first. Bring Russetfur to me first though."

Grateful to be out of her leader's cold stare, she found Russetfur basking in the sunlight between the nursery and warriors den. "Cloudfall wants to see you," Featherpaw whispered, her fear escalating the incapability she had talking to other cats.

Grumpily, the she-cat heaved herself up, and walked over to Cloudfall's branch, where he was resting underneath.

"Yes," she mewed, trying to conceal the agitation she was beginning to get.

With a cock of his head, Cloudfall purred. "If you feel that I am annoying you too much, then we can make Furzeleaf deputy instead. She would do fine, and I like her qualities."

The dark ginger she-cat hissed. "I am fine in this position," she growled, her hackles beginning to rise. "What do you want me for?" The words still came out forced, although she did make an attempt to try and calm down.

"Ah, yes. About that," Cloudfall mewed, twining his tail lazily. "I want you to take a patrol around the four territories, starting with RiverClan and see if you can find anyone to join. Do what we did before, as Furzeleaf will tell you." He yawned, and laid his head upon his paws. "I doubt that there would be any sunhigh patrols, as it is a while after sunhigh.

She dipped her head as a sign of respect, and sat atop of the nursery, as she was not important enough to stand atop High Tree. "The cats I choose to go patrolling with me are Featherpaw, Furzeleaf, Mallownose, Robinwing, Ivypaw and Creampaw."

As she called them, the cats appeared, and waited near the water for her. She went to the water's edge, and shivers went up Russetfur's spine as she thought of _swimming_ in that water. Mallownose laughed, and jumped in, splashing droplets on her well groomed fur. Robinwing followed after pushing his apprentice in. Ivypaw began spluttering, unable to cross.

Robinwing nudged her to a rock in the water, upon which she clung tightly. Ivypaw heaved herself up, and shook her heavy wet fur out. When she had been lightened, Ivypaw flexed her legs, and jumped to the other side.

Taking the young apprentice's idea, Russetfur jumped onto the concealed rock, finding her grip, and jumping over quickly.

"Just because you found an alternative doesn't mean that you cannot learn how to swim," Mallownose joked.

Ignoring the tom, Russetfur continued on into RiverClan territory, intent on her mission sent by Cloudfall.

Back at camp, Mothwing worried about her herb supply. Back at RiverClan, warriors walking by a random herb would bring it to her. Now, however, there were fewer warriors, and the island didn't have much of its own herb supply.

Tentatively, she went to the sleeping Cloudfall. She prodded his side, and he awoke, his eyes twinkling in happiness.

"Yes, Mothwing," he mewed happily, glancing around eagerly.

"I need some herbs for our supplies, and…" her voice trailed off as the joy faded from his eyes, and was replaced with cold, hard anger.

"Then go," he forced out, and jumped into his branch in High Tree to watch his growing Clan. Mothwing sighed, and started travelling through the forest towards the crossing of water.

Her thoughts began to wander, and she fleetingly missed the RiverClan camp. Willowshine would have become the full medicine cat, taking on the responsibilities. The golden tabby she-cat wondered if she was having any trouble, but pushed that thought away. She had been taught well, and believed in their 'StarClan,' who she thought were the saviors of everyone.

The water rushed at her feet, but without pausing, she slid down the slope and began swimming. Otters floated past her, making small chirping noises as she refused to pay attention to them. She brushed against a rock concealed within the water, and almost cut herself on it, but pushed on.

On land, she examined the small cut on her flank. It was bleeding, but not so much as to disable her on her journey. Mothwing desperately wanted a warrior with her, not just for the help of carrying herbs, but because she felt that all of RiverClan was hostile to her.

A small green leafy plant brought her attention forward from the depths of her fear. "Horsetail," she whispered, and she rushed forward in a crouch. Trying to escape detection, she quickly bit off the stems, and rushed back to the crossing. There, Mothwing dug a small hole, and buried the horsetail.

Slowly, she peeked around, and then darted near the half-bridge, where catmint was known to grow. Sniffing around, the succulent herb was nowhere to be found. What Mothwing did find, however, was the broken stems, as if some cat had purposely broken it.

Scenting closer, a familiar smell came to her scent glands. "Hollowclaw," she growled menacingly.

Only cursing his name, the she-cat didn't expect the dark brown tabby tom to actually appear. "Why, yes, Mothwing?" he asked sarcastically, claws unsheathed.

"Why did you ruin the catmint?" she asked icily, unsheathing her claws also. "You do realize that you have doomed your Clan as well as my own."

Hollowclaw shook his head. "That is where you are wrong. RiverClan has plenty of catmint, because Willowshine, the _real_ medicine cat," he spat, "found many stalks by the WindClan border. I was sent out by Mistyfoot to destroy all catmint supplies. We have enough, but if there is a greencough breakout, the abomination Clan will be exterminated."

Trying to remember her warrior training, Mothwing kept him talking. "Why don't you join us, then? You could be very powerful, even more powerful than Leopardstar herself."

A glint of ambition sparked in his eyes. "Then I would have to become a leader, and Cloudtail wouldn't let me do so."

"His name is Cloud_fall_," the golden she-cat hissed. "And you will have more power as a warrior than the leaders of the weak Clans."

In the distance, but coming closer, was the sound of many paw steps. Her Clan mates wouldn't let their medicine cat be harassed by another cat from a weak clan.

"Why don't you join us?" Mothwing asked in a whisper.

Hollowclaw paused hesitantly. "StarClan wouldn't like this. I wouldn't see any of my ancestors when I die," he confessed.

She shook her head. "They _don't_ go to StarClan, don't you understand? There _is_ noStarClan; it is a myth that queens tell their kits."

"Stop lying," Hollowclaw snarled, glancing quickly up at the bright sun. Why didn't StarClan send anything to say that the she-cat was lying? Maybe because she wasn't?

"Impossible," Hollowclaw whispered to himself, unaware of the running paw steps coming towards him. "StarClan is real!" he screeched. A ginger blur tackled the tom, and Hollowclaw died with his last words showing his true beliefs.

Russetfur spat at the dead tom, and whirled around to Mothwing. "Why didn't you kill him?" she hissed menacingly.

"I knew him when he was a kit. I never knew that he would try to kill a cat, especially me," the golden tabby she-cat defended.

"Never mind. He wouldn't have converted his beliefs anyway. Did you hear his last words? Hollowclaw is better of dead." Mothwing flinched at the harshness of Russetfur's tone, but realized that the deputy was right.

"Let's go back to camp. Cloudfall would like to know of our patrol," Russetfur commanded, letting the other cats pass in front of her. Mothwing noticed a small bundle of pure white fur in Ivypaw's mouth, and blood on her claws. She smelled strongly of fox, making Mothwing wonder what she had just done.

Furzeleaf came rushing up with another small bundle of fur, this one a light gray in her mouth. It squirmed often, and called for its mother multiple times.

Mothwing picked up her horsetail, which unfortunately, was the only herb she could pick up. They crossed the water, all swimming surprisingly. Although the not RiverClan cats did have a grimace on their face as soon as the cold water touched their skin.

Swimming was easily confronted and beaten, but there were other problems circling the she-cat's mind. What about the herb supply?

From the High tree, Cloudfall could spot the cats emerge over the slope of the crossing. He yowled in greeting, and then went to alert the other cats in camp. Whitetail yawned, but woke her kits up to watch the new members join.

Mothwing was the first through, and went immediately to the medicine den to put away her large amount of horsetail. Next were Furzeleaf and Ivypaw, both carefully carrying the kits.

"What's this?" Cloudtail asked, thoroughly surprised.

Russetfur smiled. "There is barely any sense just going for older cats who believe in StarClan," she explained. "Take kits, so that they can be taught in the ways of a FallenClan warrior."

Cloudfall nodded, and looked over the kits that were placed on the ground near his paws. "What Clan were they taken from?" he asked, happily nudging the white tom.

"The gray one is Sootkit from ShadowClan, and I think you know who the white tom is," Ivypaw mewed.

"My son," Cloudfall whispered happily. "You have brought me Frostkit. This is a fine idea, taking the kits to raise. Anything else that you have to report?"

Creampaw spoke up. "Furzeleaf taught me some fighting moves, and with Ivypaw, we killed a WindClan tom named Whiskerclaw."

"Good." Cloudfall nodded, noticing that the uncertain look in Creampaw's eyes was starting to fade, to be replaced with the confident look of a well trained warrior.

Mothwing poked her golden head out from the medicine den. "Hollowclaw destroyed the catmint supplies, but Russetfur took care of him. He refused to convert."

The white leader nodded, because there was nothing else to tall, apparently. Why aren't cats willing to join CometClan? He asked himself, unable to come up with a valid answer. "Whitetail, will you take care of Sootkit and Frostkit until they are old enough to become apprentices?" he asked the queen, who nodded, and then ushered the two kits to her own three.

"Now that CometClan is growing, you need some rules," a voice spoke up. Cloudfall spun around, to find the cat who said that. "Nope," the same voice mewed. "Behind you."

He turned around again to see Fallingsnow, with another she-cat. The ginger and white she-cat dipped her head in respect. "It is always hard to come up with a new Clan, following a different belief than everyone else," she mewed quietly.

"This is Cloudysun, and she came up with the rules for the other Clans," Fallingsnow explained. "It is sort of like the warrior code, but different in some ways."

"Yes," Cloudysun mewed. "There are six rules altogether, and the other Clans do have some of the same rules."

She twitched her white tail tip, and took a deep breath. "First, all must believe in FallenClan, or they are killed. Secondly, kits, queens, and elders are fed before all cats. Thirdly, protect your boundaries with your life. You may gain territory, but it shall _never_ be lost. Fourth, relationships with cats from other Clans are forbidden. If they are caught in it, they shall be exiled, and any kits from those relationships will be killed to show that those types of relationships are not permitted. Fifth, apprentices must be trained for ten moons at the least, so that they can be full-fledged killers when they are finally given their names. Lastly, leaders have control over everything, although FallenClan and the elders are used to help perfect those decisions.

"Do you understand it all? Those are a lot of rules to remember," Cloudysun mewed fretfully.

"Don't worry," Cloudfall mewed to the nervous she-cat. "I shall remember them with my life, and will teach them to obey the laws like they do you." He dipped his head, and turned around to face his Clan, although he could still feel the presence of Cloudysun and Fallingsnow behind him.

"I have just been contacted by FallenClan!" the white leader announced. "They have told me six rules that all in our clan shall obey, or be killed."

The cats came out, and stood looking up at their leader, eyes wide in excitement and curiosity.

"The rules are as follows: all must believe in FallenClan, or they are killed. Secondly, kits, queens, and elders are fed before all cats. Thirdly, protect your boundaries with your life. You may gain territory, but it shall _never_ be lost. Fourth, relationships with cats from other Clans are forbidden. If two cats are caught in it, they shall be exiled, and any kits from those relationships will be killed to show that those types of relationships are not permitted. Fifth, apprentices must be trained for ten moons at the least, so that they can be full-fledged killers when they are finally given their names. Lastly, leaders have control over everything, although FallenClan and the elders are used to help perfect those decisions."

He stood quietly for a few heartbeats, letting his cats understand the rules. "If any of those are violated, then the culprits will be punished by either death, excitement, or the stripping of their power for a set amount of time. Do you understand?"

All nodded, silently promising to themselves that they shall obey those rules. "Good, then," the white leader mewed. "Go back to what you were doing, because I have to do something."

They all moved off, except for Whitetail, who the white tom was heading for. "I need Frostkit and Sootkit for their initiation."

"No," Whitetail mewed in defiance. "They are too young. Sootkit is barely one moon old, and Frostkit is almost two. Can't we wait until they are apprentices, like we did for Featherpaw?"

He shook his head. "That was different. Featherpaw joined as an apprentice. They join as kits, so they must be initiated as kits. I am just doing as FallenClan wants me to do," Cloudfall mewed. He tried moving around Whitetail, to get to Sootkit, but she hissed and batted at his paw.

"Whitetail," Cloudfall snarled, unsheathing his claws. "Give me the kits, and they will be given back to you as soon as they have sacrificed their blood to the Fallingcomet."

"Kits are too young, and they don't know what is going on," Whitetail argued, keeping Sootkit and Frostkit behind her.

A pure black cat came up behind Cloudfall, and sat down next to him. "Nightcloud?" Whitetail asked, uncertain why she was here.

"No," the she-cat answered, making Cloudtail sharply turn to stare at her. "I am Darkfeather, and I am here to say that Whitetail is right. They _are_ too young. When they are apprenticed, then they shall sacrifice."

Cloudfall snarled. "Why don't you ever let me make my decisions by myself? Even Firestar doesn't have his so called StarClan breathing down his neck," he fumed.

"You must understand that we tried leaving you alone," the black she-cat mewed in annoyance. "You are going to make bad decisions, as all new leaders of new clans do. We are helping in some matters, and these kits are too young."

He huffed in annoyance, but agreed.

"Good," she mewed. "However, I must warn you of something. A shadow of a bird shall cover the shooting comet, only to fall again." Once she finished, Darkfeather disappeared, leaving only a dazed Whitetail, Cloudfall, and the playing kits.

"What does that mean?" she asked in worry. "The shadow of a bird?"

"It seems that FallenClan gives prophecies like _StarClan_ does. I have no idea _what_ it means, but we are the shooting comet. Go to the nursery with the kits, while I think this over," Cloudfall commanded, and Whitetail followed his orders.

* * *

Falconkit really thought that the newcomers were fun. Frostkit was related to Cloudfall, and looked like the powerful tom, too! They both played great games, and Sootkit liked tackling him. The light gray she-cat was really pretty, her light green eyes reflecting each and everything that they saw.

"I want to be Falconfall of CometClan," Falconkit cried, jumping on top of the stump.

"No way, you're always leader," Marshkit complained. "Even when we were back in WindClan!"

"That's because I call it first," Falconkit mewed, nodding his head. "One day, I'll be the _real_ Falconfall of CometClan, and nobody will stop me. I'll get all of them, and make them believe in FallenClan. I'll kill any cat in my way, and I will be the leader."

Rabbitkit scoffed. "Yeah, right. The day you become leader, hedgehogs will fly."

"I'll make them fly then. No one will stop me," Falconkit promised. Sootkit sat next to him on the stump, and purred.

"Let's play the game already! I'm Sootspot, the deputy!" she mewed, trying to deter the conversation. Falconkit was a strong tom, and she admired him, but right now, he was scaring her.

"Fine," Frostkit huffed. "I'm Froststar of ThunderClan, and I'm coming to get your territory."

"Never!" Marshkit mewed. "You heard Cloudfall; we aren't allowed to give up territory." He jumped at Frostkit, pretending to try and kill the leader of ThunderClan.

* * *

The setting sun woke Eaglekit up, for it gave him the warmth that he had been missing for some time now. Glancing around, he didn't see any of the queens, neither the comforting presence of his mother.

"Mother?" Eaglekit cried his blue eyes wide in fear. "Daisy?" With no response, he crawled towards the entrance of the nursery, because her scents lead there.

He heard whispers outside, and Icecloud saying the words 'Daisy' and "FallenClan' together. Brightheart interrupted. "I lost Frostkit," she cried. "There is no scent other than the one of fox and us queens. If it was a fox, then why didn't it stela the rest of my kits?"

"We can't tell you, Brightheart. By that time Dasiy was gone, and Firestar had called a Clan meeting. The fox could have slipped in through the back while that was happening," Icecloud mewed, trying to make the queen feel better.

Instead, Brightheart sat down and wailed, her nerves finally shattered. She had lost both her mate and one of her kits, and wasn't really ready to calm down.

Eaglekit ignored the wailing, and took notice of the sound of the three other siblings playing near their mother, and Skykit and Dawnkit playing with Sorreltail's kits. He was all alone in the nursery.

Sorreltail stuck her head in the nursery, and saw Eaglekit all alone, and finally awake. "Come," she whispered soothingly. "Let's go play with the other kits."

Head down and wishing for his mother, Eaglekit obliged.

**A/N: Should I make another Clan that believes in FallenClan? It would be made up of cats from the original Clans. If so, review telling me what the Clan will be named, and four cats (one cat from each Clan) who you think will be good to lead it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Here's the next chapter, which I think you'll find a bit more interesting. Review when you're done!**

Sniffing carefully along the place where the tree bridge once was, the twelve cats paused in confusion.

"What happenend to it?" Tawnypelt asked, her voice rising in a question. She turned to the other ShadowClan cats, all who shook their heads. Toafoot shrug, while Shrewfoot gazed at Tawnypelt sadly.

Pebblefoot spoke up, although the look on his face made it seem like he wished he didn't. "A few moonhighs ago, we saw them pushing the bridge." He paused, pointing his tail towards downstresm, where a small branch was poking out of the water. "If you can see that branch, it is all that's left of the bridge that isn't underwater." Mintfur and Mosspelt agreed.

Leafpool looked, her amber eyes large and calculating. "If we can't get across," she muttered, "then how are we supposed to invade their camp?" She looked at the other cats. "I suggest we just go home now," she mewed loud enough for everyone to hear. Cinderheart and Birchfall looked appaled at her suggestion, giving the she-cat looks of distaste.

The dark gray tom at the edge of the group hissed. "Just because Firestar sent you to prove that you are a loyal warrior and you don't want to do this -"

Leafpool spat at him. "I was exiled as a medicine cat, _Crowfeather_, for having _your_ kits! It's your problem too!"

"Don't fight," Mintfur whispered. "They'll hear you, and they already killed Hollowclaw…"

The she-cat paused in the middle of the retort to Crowfeather, who uttered a whispered insult. The other Windclan cats, Antpelt and Heathertail bristled, ready to defend their Clanmate."We were sent from our respective Clans to kill all abominations in this Clan, saving the queens and kits. Not to fight. Come," Pebblefoot mewed. "We must swim."

Looks of disgust came from all but Mintfur, Pebblefoot, and Mosspelt, who began swimming. Unceratinly, they began swimming, quickly getting lost in the fast current and spitting out water. With sighs of impatientness, the RiverClan cats took turns in getting the drowning cats and dragging them to the shore of the island.

"Let's do it then," Tawnypelt coughed, trying to stalk quietly on the island. She feared for the life of her son, for he was one of those 'abominations.' Without thinking, one of those cats would most likely kill him.

She reached a small camp, with the smell of the four Clans mixed. She saw the warriors spread evenly trough the clearing, sleeping like WindClan did. A dark brown tabby pelt stood out, even in the darkness to the worried mother.

"I see that they have finally sent cats to stop us," a low voice whispered from a tree branch. The twelve cats whipped around to find Cloudfall perched in a tree, his white fur shining brightly in the weak moonlight.

Sounds behind them alerted the cats to the CometClan warriors that had only been pretending to sleep.

"Do you wish to fight, or give up and join us?" the tom asked, drawing their attention back to him with his icy voice.

"Never!" Toadfoot screeched, trying to claw the cats behind him.

"So be it," Cloudfall mewed, and with a flick of his tail, the CometClan warriors were upon them. With a yowl, Tawnypelt fought off a laughing Ivypaw, who used dodging moves that Tawnypelt has never seen.

"You will lose anyway," the young apprentice laughed, ducking under Tawnypelt's legs for the fifth time, and clawing her underbelly.

"Stop it," the tortoiseshell she-cat hissed, trying unsuccessfully to catch the small she-cat. Ivypaw laughed once again, but was cut off as Crowfeather leapt on top of her. Tigerheart followed, calling the WindClan cat a coward, and to take on a warrior of his own size.

As the dark brown tabby tom rushed up to attack Crowfeather, he spooted his petrified mother, and froze. His amber eyes, so like her father's, were wide in surprise. "It must be done," he whispered, keeping still to explain, at least slightly. "You came to attack us tonight, and Fallenclan cares for their cats. Join us and you shall not die."

The last words echoed in Tawnypelt's mind. "Why do you speak of FallenClan with such pride?" she asked accusingly. "I taught you to believe in StarClan when you were a kit!"

"You taught me to believe in the wrong thing," Tigerheart hissed, gaining back his fighting attitude. He swiped at the struggling Crowfeather as he wrestled with Ivypaw. "I have been shown the light, and they tell me to kill unbelievers. Good bye, mother."

With cold, unfeeling fury in his eyes, Tigerheart leapt, not really caring that he was aiming to kill his mother.

"wait!" Cloudfall yowled, for he had regained his perch on top of the branch and was watching all. Tigerheart landed with a thump on Tawnypelt.

At the white leader's paws was blood, flowing easily from the mutilated body of Shrewfoot at the base of the tree. Pausing, he glanced meaningly at the pile of now dead cats. Mosspelt, Mintfur and Antpelt were in it, their eyes glazed as they forever stared into the stars of their ancestors.

Crowfeather gasped, and looked around anxiously, aiming to flee the bloody scene. "you move, and I shall have my warriors kill you," Cloudfall mewed deeply, meaning evey word.

Crowfeaether took a deep breath, appearing to relax, when he bolted. Whitetail, although she was a queen, caught him, a victorious snarl building in her chest. She leaned back a bit, preparing herself to bite deep into his throat, taking away every ounce of free will he had, for soon he too would be a corpse in that pile.

"wait!" Leafpool cried, her amber eyes wide. "If you want to kill someone, kill me," she cried, forcing Whitetail off of him.

Cloudfall watched her act of heroism, and decided to ask them if they would like to join his Clan, to start life afresh, not being judged for what they had done wrong.

"A new life waits for all of you," he announced, making the ears prick on all cats. "But the condition is that you must join CometClan and worship FallenClan. Power awaits you."

Crowfeather dipped his head in acceptance, leaning against Leafpool for support, not truly understanding that he could be with her forever. Pebblefoot and Birchfall's eyes gleamed at the mention of power, while Tawnypelt sat with her tail curled around her paws. She wouldn't have to kill her son now. Heathertail looked doubtful, and glanced often at the stars.

Cinderheart and Toadfoot crowded closely together, sustaining their belief of StarClan together. "There is a StarClan," Cinderheart whispered, her blue eyes starting to glow golden. A deeper voice htat belonged to a tom filled her throat. "Who you are observing now was once Cinderpelt, the medicine cat of ThunderClan. StarClan has gave her a new life, so that she could fufill the dream that she had always wanted."

"Lies!" Cloudfall screeched, and jumped down from his perch, aiming for Cinderheart. Although a tom was speaking through her, he didn't have any power over the fighting skills, and soon Cinderheart was bleeding out next to the other dead cats.

"There _is_ no StarClan, and that was a lie. If there was StarClan, they would have protected her, and the others," he spat, looking at the dead pile.

The white tom looked meaningly at Toadfoot, who shrunk back in his gaze. "All who are joining CometClan must do as I say. Roughen up Toadfoot so that they know our full power when he returns to their camp. Do _not_ kill him."

Crowfeather and Leafpool advanced first, sorry already in their eyes. The CometClan cats watched critically as Pebblefoot advanced, his quiet nature forgotten in the heat of the battle. He struck out first, catching Toadfoot across the nose, and making it bleed profusely.

The tom yowled, but the pain filled noise was covered up by the hissing and spitting as the other cats pressed forward to make themselves worthy in Cloudfall's eyes.

The CometClan cats jeered as blood flowed from multiple cuts, and Toadfoot feel to the ground, melwing in pain like a kit.

Birchfall's eyes flashed in victory, and his tail thrashed, waiting for the command to kill. It never came, though. Instead a cold 'stop' was uttered, and reluctantly the cats backed off.

"Let him live, for now. He shall go back to ShadowClan, and from then, when he returns like this, they shall see how powerful we are," Cloudfall ordered, carefully weaving around the bodies of cats. He carefully sniffed Toadfoot, and pulled away in disgust. Toadfoot struggled up, and dragged himself to the edge of their island, where he stopped in horror.

He was already weak from their torture, and now he had to _swim_ to escape? Was there no end to this? It seems like they want him to die on the way to reaching salvation. With a grunt, he jumped into the rushing water, it burning the open wounds and bruises with it's rushing force.

A rock jutted out of the water, and he grabbed it in his desperation. He felt eyes burning in his pelt, and Toadfoot turned around. The blue eyes of Cloudfall glinted from deep inside the tree, and it urged the dark brown tom faster, to just get away from those eyes.

A strong heave got the tom to the surface, and he clambered up the bank, pain shooting from his tail tip to his head with each limping pawstep.

RiverClan territory seemed to take hours to cross, with the pain and the dread of back there. He tried limping faster, but a large cut that almost bisected his leg prevented it. It was a large relief when the towering pines first came into view. After that first joyful moment, though, it was worse. How could he still be moving, but the trees still staying in place?

Black spots covered his vision, but Toadfoot pressed on, knowing that he was safe in camp, and out here at any moment, those monsters could come and attack him.

Not able to see anymore, the tom hit something hard and fell to the ground, where he let out a yowl. Imaginary claws raked down Toadfoot's pelt, bringing more blood to the surface. A drop of wetness hit his nose, along with a peculiar smell.

Unable to take any more, his body just shut down, unaware that the wetness was rain, and the smell was sap from the tree that he had hit.

Stayting awake was nothing, Fawnpaw thought. She did it every night. It was just the fact that he, her borhter, was out with the other ShadowClan cats. She'd worried about Toadfoot ever since her other brother, Marshtail was killed by a monster. It was even worse when their sister, Featherpaw, joined the CometClan cats. He made a vow to bring her back, and kill the leader in vengeance.

However, small joys were pinpricks of hope in his life. Applefur made Toadfooot happy with her kits, 'pure ShadowClan kits', as Toadfoot said. One of his biggest peeves was that the 'CometClan' was a mixture of all the cats.

"I'm going for a stretch," Fawnpaw whispered to Dapplepaw, who sat next to her. Dapplepaw nodded sleepily, allowing Fawnpaw to get up, and slide out of the camp entrance. Raindrops pattered quietly on the pine needles, making a soothing sound that Fawnpaw really didn't notice.

She gave Ivytail a cortueus nod, before padding out deeper into their territory. A small lizard scuttled by, but Fawnpaw was too occupied to notice it. A sappy smell was in the air, which didn't occur until late in the Greenleaf season. Blood mingled with it, making her nose tingle.

Curious, yet afraid at the same time, Fawnpaw looked around the edge of the tree, and saw her borhter limp next to it. Blood was being washed off of him in tiny streams made by the rain, and a small branch lay broken on top of him, which was the source of the smell.

"Toadfoot?" she screeched. "What happened?"

A screech borught the little kit from the dredges of sleep. Curled up against Icecloud was nice, but it wasn't Daisy, who was who he wanted. The patter of rain on the protecting nursery lulled him back to sleep, however, where he was confronted with a nice dream.

The sun was shining, and far in front of him, his mother beckoned with her tail. "Come, my kit," she mewed. He saw her mouth moving, but it took a while before the sound reached his ears.

"wait! Mother!" Eaglekit cried, trying to move his feet to reach her. They were set in stone, however, as he realized when he looked down.

Averting his eyes from his bound feet, Eaglekit looked for Daisy. Instead of being alone, now she was surrounded by many cats, all strong and powerful looking. They glared at him, angered by something he didn't do. Dark clouds roiled above him, showing their anger towards him with thunder.

"You are not welcomed here," A gray tabby tom mewed menacingly, baring his teeth.

As soon as they had appeared, the cats were gone in a whisp of smoke. Daisy glanced towards Eaglekit once, no sign of compassion in her eyes, and she disappeared too.

Ready to wail, Eaglekit raised his head to the sky. A small star blinked at him, growing larger slowly. Suddenly, it came on with more force, blazing down upon the small tom. _This isn't a star_, he thought, trying to escape the burning object. _They are supposed to be nice!_

"I wish Onestar had thought to send me," Adderpaw mewed brusquely. "I am almost old enough to be a warrior, and I can beat almost everyone in a battle."

"Hush," Sunstrike mewed. "you do know that nobody is listening to you, right?" Adderpaw huffed. Sunstrike was usuall nice, and to admit it, Adderpaw had a crush on the young she-cat,but today she was unbearable. It probably had something to do with the rain, which had come down in torrents, chasing each cat into their respective dens, except for Adderpaw, who sought solace in the warrior's den.

"yeah, well…" Adderpaw mewed, trying to find a way to explain his sudden heroics to the beautiful she-cat.

She shook her head, and the white flashed in her pelt. "I don't know what's the matter. We sent out the warriors a while ago, they should be back already."

Seeing that she was occupied with thoughts not focused on him, Adderpaw slid out of the crowded warrior's den, and rushed across the clearing to the sheltered rock that was the apprentice's den. It had a musty smell, for it had not been used in a while, because he was the only apprentice, and he usually slept outside with the warriors.

Alone, he curled up into a ball. He prayed sleep would come, to take him away from his life, where everything was easier and the she-cats paid more attention.

Where was her father? Fogkit had been awake for some tiem now, watching as her siblings fell asleep one by one, but her mother stayed awake, always watchful.

"Minnowtail?" Fogkit mewed quietly, trying not to scare her mother.

She turned her dark gray head, and looked with care down at her kit. "You should be sleeping, young one," she mewed. "What has kept you up past your brothers and sister?"

"Where's Pebblefoot?" the kit asked. "He hasn't been in to say hello or goodbye in a while."

Minnowtail turned away quickly, her breath growing ragged. Was her mate ever coming back? They only sent twelve cats, three from each Clan, but they don't know what one CometClan cat had done to Hollowclaw.

"He had to go fight the cats living on the island. He'll be back soon," Minnowtail soothed, not really believing it was working for Fogkit, because it wasn't working for her.

She wanted to yowl to the skies, already proclaiming her loss. She knew that he wasn't coming back, it was just a feeling she had in her pelt.

"alright," Fogkit mewed, snuggling closer to her mother. Deep down inside, she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Fogkit shared the same feeling as her mother, that her father wasn't coming back, not ever.

"We have won!" Cloudfall announced to the cats. Falconkit peeked his head out from the nursery, where he saw his mother, other warriors he had grown close to, and a pile of dead bodies. "Now, we must go and initiate the others using the fallenComet. Whitetial, please keep the kits here. When their apprentice ceremonies come, then they shall witness more members joining their Clan."

Whitetial nodded, agreeing although she really wanted to see others join. When the other cats had left, Whitetial beckoned to them with her tail, and the five kits came running out.

Falconkit carefully smelled the bloodstained battlefield, connecting the bloodcurdling yowls he heard before to this fight.

A brown body called to the kit, and unaware that he was doing it, Falconkit moved towards it. Suspicions crept in, but none were proven right until the sighof one black ear.

Touching his small pink nose to the ear, Falconkit inhaled deeply the scent. It reminded him of rainy days in the nursery, when Antpelt would come and visit, or playing outside with his father.

"White… Whitetial!" Falconkit mewed angrily, shaken by greif and wanting vengeance. "They killed Antpelt!" Marshkit and Rabbitkit, who had been tussling with Frostkit and Sootkit, cried out disbelievingly, and rushed to the limp body.

His mother turned to him, kindness in her eyes. "They came to kill us, Flaconkit," She meowed. "If we didn't fight and kill, they would have. I wouldn't have wanted to see my kits dead, would I?"

The way she asked it, made it seem right, as if life was alright right now. "Do you understand?"

The small white tom nodded, his black tail tip dragging in the dirt. His father, Antpelt, was a traitor?

**A/N: From now on, the story will be in those five points of view (Fawnpaw, Eaglekit, Adderpaw, Fogkit, and Falconkit) so that we can see a bit of the action in each of the Clans. Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Yeah, I know I haven't updated in a while, but I've been so bogged down with homework and practice, it's been insane. Please review. Oh, and by the way, I made the team!**

"Adderpaw," a voice called, bringing him forth from the dredges of a good dream. The voice called again, and it was followed by a harsh prod in the flank.

The tom lashed out with his paw. "Go away, Boulderpaw. I need sleep, ever since Emberfoot had been making me do laps, I've been tired…"

The prodding didn't stop, and neither did the voice, which grew agitated. "Fine," Whitepaw huffed. "Onestar is holding a Clan meeting, so I guess that you won't be attending it."

Adderpaw's eyes flew open. "Whitepaw? What are you doing in the apprentice's den? You sleep in the medicine den. Onestar's having a Clan meeting?"

The words were said so fast that Whitepaw didn't have enough time to comprehend what was said, let alone answer. He glanced into the medicine cat's eyes, which were wide in fear, and knew all that he had to. He shook the sheep pelt out of his fur, and followed the tom into the center of camp.

"I have suspected as much," Onestar began, the whole Clan focusing on him. They looked to him for hope, and banishments of their worst fears.

"They won't come back," he whispered, but all heard. Yowls erupted from all, but a bloodcurdling screech came from the nursery. Nightcloud watched with large eyes, her kits huddled beneath him.

"They took him," she spat. "They will pay, and I will get him back so that he can spend more time with _our_ kits." She stood up, her tail lashing, ready to go out of camp.

Adderpaw stopped her, however, after a sharp nudge from Ashfoot. "Don't," he whispered, trying to keep her in the same place. "RiverClan reported that they killed Hollowclaw, and the cats we have sent are probably dead by now."

She hissed in his face and clawed at Adderpaw. "Don't tell me what to do! It's even worse, then, if he's dead."

Onestar growled from Tallhill. "No cat shall go to their camp tonight. Instead, we shall send a small patrol to RiverClan to see if their cats have returned. To be sure, we will send out one to ThunderClan and ShadowClan also."

"Who shall go?" Sunstrike called her eyes wide in excitement. However, Adderpaw could scent her fear, contradicting her expression.

"To RiverClan shall be Ashfoot, Owlwhisker, and Adderpaw. To ThunderClan, Sunstrike, myself, and Leaftail. To ShadowClan shall be Weaselfur, Boulderheart, and Swallowtail. Understood? Then move," Onestar mewed, jumping down from Tallhill and leading his cats towards ThunderClan territory. Ashfoot motioned with her head, and Adderpaw followed closely behind the experienced she-cat.

The thought of going directly to the killer's camp made shivers race up and down Adderpaw's spine, but it was truly worth it. Sunstrike would see how brave and smart he was for going to them, and living, unlike Antpelt.

"Stay down," Ashfoot whispered, flattening herself against the barren earth. He did as he was told, and the dirt spiraled up into his nose, making him sneeze. Ashfoot hissed in response, and turned her head towards the island.

A smaller white and brown figure stood next to a gray and white figure. "Ashfoot," Adderpaw whispered in shock. "That's Furzeleaf!"

She hissed, and moved forward on her belly, not trying to attract the attention of the killers, who were apparently trying to fish. The smaller cat, most likely an apprentice, caught a flopping fish with a yowl of triumph, and Furzeleaf congratulated her, a fish soon in her jaws.

They moved off, and the deputy breathed in relief, sprinting the rest of the way to the RiverClan camp.

It seems as though Leopardstar had been anticipating their arrival, as she and Mistyfoot were positioned outside. "We were sent to see if you have all of your warriors," Ashfoot mewed quietly, dipping her head to the leader and deputy.

"No," Leopardstar mewed sharply, keeping her eyes trained on the island. "However, we have seen Pebblefoot teach others how to catch fish and swim. He and the others, no doubt, have been teaching the _CometClan_ cats how to do everything, as they can be the most prepared. No other cat from our Clan has been seen otherwise, living or dead."

Owlwhisker growled, clawing the ground beneath his paws in frustration. "Thank you," Ashfoot muttered, dipping her head once again. Just by her tone, and the way her eyes shifted, Adderpaw knew that she didn't mean it.

Mistyfoot's blank expression softened. "Since you are suffering as much as we are, why don't you take a rest in our camp? There is enough fish to spare for just three of you."

The RiverClan leader snarled her defiance, but the WindClan warriors were already ushered inside the camp. "Take your pick," Mistyfoot mewed, showing them a silvery fresh-kill pile.

Curious, Adderpaw took a smaller fish, and sat near a cave in the edge of camp, oblivious to everything except the tangy scent of fish.

* * *

Fogkit smelled intruders in the nursery. She stood up in a huff. _Enemy warriors _in _her _camp. What were the RiverClan warriors thinking?

Glancing back quickly to see Minnowtail and her siblings asleep, Fogkit peeped her head out of the nursery. She spotted three cats, all lean and small. "WindClan," she hissed, her fur bristling in anger. The one thing that made her fly out at the cats was the fact that a tom, small and maybe apprentice age, was eating a _fish_ near the nursery.

"How dare you!" she screeched, and attacked the tom. He yowled in surprise and dropped the half-eaten fish. She attacked with teeth and claws, using battle moves Pebblefoot had taught her. Fogkit was smaller than he, but almost apprentice age, and strength came with her age.

He yowled in pain, but threw her off, and was staring at her with hate in his eyes. Mistyfoot placed her tail restrictingly on her shoulder. "They are guests," the deputy hissed. "What are you doing to Adderpaw?"

Fogkit's ears fell flat against her head. "Guests," she repeated meekly, giving a sheepish grin to Adderpaw, who shook his light gray fur out in embarrassment.

"It's quite alright," Ashfoot mewed, coming up beside the other deputy. "I'm sure other kits in WindClan would do the same thing if they felt there were intruders. We have to leave now anyway. Thank you for your r agreement, that," she looked around before continuing in a lower voice, so quiet Fogkit had to strain to hear, "they aren't coming back. RiverClan and WindClan will unite with the others to get rid of them."

Mistyfoot nodded, and ushered them out of camp with Mossytail and Rushfoot at her sides.

Leopardstar turned to Fogkit, anger still prominent in her amber eyes. "You were right to attack them. They were intruders that I hadn't wanted in camp, but Mistyfoot allowed them. It seems that she is the leader already," the golden leader muttered, heading for her den.

Fogkit looked sheepishly around the clearing again, and exited, excitement running loose through her veins. She could see the WindClan cats on the horizon, and couldn't help but compare their lithe forms to the bulkier form of Mistyfoot, Mossytail and Rushfoot. The Clans were all different, but the same. They took pride in their differences, but yet this _CometClan,_ the one who stole her father, intended on making them all the same.

Why would any cat do that? Differences were good, especially if they allowed your Clan to live. Rogues were different, though. They didn't have any adaptations to live by, just their own skill in hunting and fighting.

As if thinking about it caused the smell to come, Fogkit scented a cat scent, so unlike any of the Clans. "StarClan help me," she mewed quietly, looking to the stars. "I called upon this loner or rogue, and if they fight me, I'll be crowfood."

Fogkit sniffed carefully around, pulling the smells over her scent glands. At one point she thought that she saw a fluffy black tail around a boulder, but it was gone so quickly that she brushed it to the side.

Her curiosity and anger escalated, as well as her fear. The scent grew stronger near the tree bridge, and she inched closer slowly, the stories told about FallenClan fresh in her mind.

"Fogkit?" Mistyfoot called, nearing the island and making the she-cat jump. "What are you doing out of camp? You know kits aren't allowed."

The gray she-cat dipped her head in respect. "I just thought that… never mind, Mistyfoot. I'll go back to camp now, I'm tired."

She allowed herself to be lead back to RiverClan, ignoring the jokes that Rushfoot kept throwing in. Fogkit's mind was bursting with the adventure she just had, from attacking Adderpaw to the rogue. Being stuck in camp was boring, but necessary. At any time those killers could come, and a kit was the most likely to be taken.

She nodded quietly to herself, attracting no attention from either of the warriors. Adventures were fun, she decided, and she was going to sneak out more often, since the threat of death was better than sleeping all day.

* * *

Fawnpaw sat with her brother in Littlecloud's den all day, nosing his numerous wounds carefully, and licking the blood away. Not much was left in her life; it was empty. Marshtail was dead, Featherpaw in CometClan, her father dead and her mother not really caring about her. Applefur was sweet, but she wasn't really allowed to visit, the kits were so taxing.

Toadfoot was her life, in essence. He cared for her like the father she never really knew, but yet was strict in his teachings. He wanted her to know everything, to be better than he ever was, and that was what she needed in her life of so much loss.

She nosed his fur again, and was quite startled the he squirmed with her touch. "Flametail!" she cried, noticing Littlecloud near the entrance. The older medicine cat shuffled closer, his age clearly showing in his bones. The ginger tom rushed in, breath heaving in.

"What happened? Is it going worse?" he asked his eyes wide in fear.

Littlecloud shook his head, and then pointed it to the slowly moving body of Toadfoot, who began struggling to his feet.

He finally opened his yellow eyes, and stared at the three cats in the medicine den. "Who are you?" he asked, confusing knitting his brow.

"Your sister!" Fawnpaw meowed, and rubbed against him while purring. He backed away in disgust, though. "Why did you do that?" she mewed with accusation.

"Why? Because I have no clue who you are," the brown tom mewed, taking another step back to ensure himself enough time if attacked.

"You… don't remember… me," Fawnpaw whispered, taking in the sight of her injured brother for the first time since she had found him. His dark brown fur was caked in mud and poultices, all which still bled. The cuts had been ripped open, and Toadfoot made a look of pain when he saw the blood ooze out.

Littlecloud placed his tail on her shoulder. "He has lost his memory for now; maybe later he'll remember something." With that, he ushered her out of the den, and heard him arguing with Toadfoot to stay in the medicine den and that they weren't going to harm him.

She trudged to the apprentice's den, where she fell in a heap. Her whole family was gone, her life was gone, and her brother was gone. Dapplepaw looked at her with concern, but saw the anger in Fawnpaw's eyes so she got up and left her alone.

Fawnpaw knew the true secret as why Toadfoot lost his memory. He had been presented with such a sorrowful life, that he wanted to escape, and the only way to do so while still remaining loyal to ShadowClan was to get lost in his memories. Her only regret was that he didn't take her with him.

* * *

"Mother! Mother!" Eaglekit cried out in frustration as he was jolted from sleep once again.

Patchkit had kicked him, waking him up. "Shut up, mousebrain," he muttered, parting from Brightheart to give the small kit a glare. "It's barely sunhigh; some of us want to sleep." He finished with his little speech and cuddled closer to Brightheart, his small snores soon audible.

Eaglekit heard screeches outside, and deducted that they must be from Dawnkit and Skykit, who were usually the loudest in play. "They should have been named Screechkit and Owlkit," Eaglekit muttered, going outside to join them.

Icecloud sat in the sun near her kits, watching them with half closed eyes. When she saw Daisy's abandoned kit, she pulled him close with her pure white tail. "How are you today?" she asked, purring.

The brown tom nodded, eager to play with Icecloud's kits, but she held him close and began cleaning him.

The motherly act had been lost to him for a while, and it felt nice to be cleaned by this kind she-cat in the sun. Unknowingly, he drifted into a state of unconsciousness with the rhythmic licks on his back aiding his sleep.

"There," Icecloud announced, finally letting the drowsy tom go. "Was that so hard?"

He shook his head, gaining back the playfulness he had before he dosed off. Icecloud watched as he approached her kits and was soon engulfed.

Many times he was thrown out of the play, landing roughly in the dirt, or was pinned. Dawnkit would give him a small look, but Skykit would always laugh.

"If I was you, Eaglekit," she mewed, "I would want to learn more fighting moves. If Dawnkit and I can beat you, how do you think you'll fare against Cloudfall? I would want to get him if he took my mother!"

Icecloud hissed, and soon she was out of the sun and into the shade where the kits were playing. "Don't speak of that to him! He knows already, and I'm sure that not one moonhigh passes when he misses her, but he must let her go. She doesn't want to be of company with him anymore, so he must let her go."

The angered mother picked Skykit up by the scruff, and after giving Eaglekit a sorrow filled look, brought the complaining Skykit into the nursery.

Dawnkit looked shyly at him, and then batted at his face with a paw. He returned it, and soon they were tussling in the shade once more. He seemed to be doing well, although he didn't notice that she was doing it deliberately.

There was nothing to bother him for now, but later, when the weak moon was almost gone, he would have nightmares. They concerned his mother, Cloudtail, the kind warrior he had loved, and many unknown warriors, never at the same time. At the end, however, one thing remained the same. It was the bright blazing object that wasn't a star, warning him to stay away, or be killed.

* * *

A black head emerged near the nursery where Falconkit was drowsing in a pile with all of his siblings, adopted and those he was born with. He shook it off, claiming it to be a hallucination. That is, until it moved, and ushered for him with its tail.

He scrambled up, and carefully went to the cat, which was a pure black, extremely fluffy tom. He smelled nothing like any of the Clans he knew of before, but there was a certain scent to the tom that Falconkit was sure he smelled it before.

"Hello, young kit of CometClan," the tom mewed, winding his long tail over Falconkit's head. Falconkit mewled in surprise, and Whitetail instantly became alert near the fresh-kill pile.

"Intruder!" she yowled, gaining the attention of every CometClan cat focused on the strange tom.

"What?" Cloudfall asked disbelievingly, coming out in a bristle. He spotted the fluffy to, and hissed, his long claws unsheathing and glinting in the sunhigh light. "Why had no cat picked up on his entrance?" he asked his blue eyes cold and calculating.

The black tom chuckled. "Simple. I was born and trained under the laws, rules, and fighting skills you are being taught now. However, I have a certain advantage. SnowClan cats are taught to be extremely quiet and quick as they move, as to not attract attention while in a deep storm, or up high in our rocky mountain."

"SnowClan," Cloudfall muttered. "The other Clans exist?" he asked, making Falconkit snort in amusement. Of course they exist, he felt like mewing. The tom is clearly here.

Again the tom laughed. "Yes, there are three. SnowClan, DarkClan, and StreamClan. We exist in a semi-coexistent life, but there are many wars and fights. I was born, my mother a SnowClan cat, and m father a DarkClan cat."

He took a deep breath, and then continued, as if regretting the part of his life he couldn't change. "I had the ice blue eyes as SnowClan, but the dark pelt, usually black, of DarkClan. Because of my heritage I was exiled."

All were quiet at his tale, but Cloudfall seemed to calculate what he had just been told, and decided it must be true.

"Why are you here?" he asked. Cloudfall jumped down from his branch, and went to smell the tom. "You smell of many moons of travelling, rogue. Also, I want to know your name, so that I don't call you by something as demoralizing as rouge to a faithful warrior who follows FallenClan."

"I never knew my true birth name, as I was taken from my mother and sent to be killed days after birth. The leader of SnowClan at the time, Harefall, deemed that I could be of use to him, to find the 'others' as the ancestors said. I was then named Exile and shoved out at the vulnerable age of 2 moons to find the 'others'."

Indeed, Exile looked rather young, as if he was only 16 moons old, about the age of a warrior. "I came to teach, and when possible, bring back proof that you, the 'others' exist."

"What are you to teach us?" Tawnypelt mewed. "We have quite a lot to learn from each other first."

"Do you wish to move silently in and out, to hunt in the bitter leaf-bares with ease? I thought so," Exile mewed, glancing quickly at each of the cats.

"Indeed, we can learn much from them," Cloudfall agreed. "Featherpaw, get some bedding for Exile in the warriors den, which he can use when it is raining. Exile, would you like to be renamed?"

Exile's icy blue eyes flashed in unease. "No," he finally muttered after a long pause. "A mother is to name her kit only. When I get back, I shall confront Harefall and make him let Vixentail give me a name."

Cloudfall nodded. "So be it," he mewed, jumping back onto the branch and began to stare deeply into ShadowClan territory.

Falconkit went to the tom again, and touched his nose quickly to the long-haired pelt, before dashing away. He knew where he had scented the scent before. His dreams, where many cats walked.

They sent Exile, Falconkit was sure of it, to make CometClan better, and to help them get rid of all of the traitors such as his father.

**A/N: How did you like it? I would love to know, so could you just please click the button down there and share your feelings? I'll give you a cookie!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I've been busy. Thank God for spring break! Read and review!**

White fur. That is what he dreamed of, and what he saw when his eyes opened. Startled, Falconkit forced his eyes open from the dredges of sleep. He squeaked in surprise at the sight of the small white kit, lying next to his mother. What was this? He was the only white kit in the WindClan nursery at the time. The kit seemed older than he, and… there was another. This one a light gray she-cat.

"Mother," Falconkit whimpered, looking above. The cave ceiling was replaced with the stalks of a bramble bush, the thorns deadly and sharp.

"Don't fret, little kit," a low voice flowed from the corner nearest the entrance. A pure black tom greeted him, and the ice blue eyes sent shivers up Falconkit's spine.

Instantly, all off his memories came flooding back to him. He was in the CometClan camp, safe inside the nursery with his adopted and regular siblings. This tom was a half-Clan cat, from both DarkClan and SnowClan, named Exile.

"Exile," Falconkit whispered. The tom cocked his head, and his eyes warmed slightly. His fluffy tail twitched slightly, and the white kit was sorely tempted to leap upon it. However, the thought of touching the tom without permission subdued that feeling.

"Come, Falconfall," Exile crooned. "I will teach you some things you will need to know if you are to travel to the true Clans, and show the traitors you knew the power of FallenClan."

The rage of knowing that Antpelt was a traitor flooded the tom's small body. With the knowledge that Exile promised… he could show them all. How Exile used his _true_ name, Falconfall, sealed the deal.

The white tom shifted out of his nest, and followed the fluffy black SnowClan warrior. The met near the stream, where the marsh combined with the fields. "The night air is wonderful for the lungs and muscles. That is why DarkClan cats train at night, and have grown accustomed to it."

The black tom leapt at the small kit, making Falconkit screech and dodge, raking his claws down Exile's nose as he passed.

Exile hissed in pain, and stopped his easy attack on the 2 moon old kit. Seeing Falconkit there, his fur puffed out, and his kit-blue eyes wide, Exile was reminded of his own kithood.

_* * * _

_ "He is not worthy, Vixentail," Harefall mewed. "He has the tainted blood of two Clans, one can see by his appearance. He shall be killed in two days time."_

_ He, barely two moons old, watched as the light brownish gray tom's eyes grew cloudy. Vixentail wrapped her long, fluffy light ginger tail around him for comfort._

_ "FallenClan has spoken," Harefall mewed ominously, his eyes becoming clear once more. "I shall take the kit." With that, Harefall grabbed the squeaking black tom by the scruff, taking him away from his mother. _

_* * *_

Falconkit watched his new mentor with excitement. The SnowClan cat had just become silent and brooding, his eyes clouded, after being so animated before. Anticipating another attack, Falconkit adopted an offensive crouch, waiting for Exile to move once more.

"Good," he rasped. "My nose is thoroughly cut, and you're just a kit." Exile ran his tongue over the bloody mess, and sighed when the blood washed over his dry mouth. "Now, to counteract the move that I just did, without looking like a coward and dodging is to catch."

Exile crouched low, and flicked his tail. Taking the signal, Falconkit leaped at the tom. What happened next surprised the tom greatly. As he was aiming for the black tom, he was suddenly confronted with Exile standing straight up on his hind paws.

Already too late, Falconkit found himself caught by the large tom's arms, and thrown to the ground. Exile's strong jaws fit perfectly around Falconkit's small throat, and soon pressure was applied.

"Stop!" Falconkit squeaked. His hind legs scrabbled against the tom's fluffy fur, but to no avail. Finally, when he thought that he could take no more, the black tom's grip let up.

"Do you see how that is effective?" he asked, letting Falconkit shake himself off. "An enemy is expecting you to dodge, or duck. When you rear up and catch them, it throws them off balance, and allows you to throw them to the ground. While they are stunned on the ground, it gives you easy access to their throat."

Falconkit nodded. A killer must have many tricks up their sleeve, and he was being trained in the ways of a CometClan cat. Exile would be very useful in the recognition of his dreams.

* * *

"Come play with us, Eaglekit!" Dawnkit mewed, wiggling her backside in playfulness.

"You hide," Skykit commanded, turning her back.

"And we'll seek," Dawnkit agreed, joining her sister, and allowing Eaglekit to hide.

He dashed away, trying to find the most suitable place to hide, while not annoying any of the older warriors. His first thought was behind the nursery, but Dawnkit and Skykit knew where that was, never mind that fact that Snowkit, Patchkit and Lightkit could see him through the hole that the fox made.

Making a sharp turn when he heard them screech '3', Eaglekit rushed for the medicine den. Hoping that Jayfeather was out collecting herbs, or tending to the elders, Eaglekit rushed in, right into the cat he least wanted to see.

"What are you doing?" Jayfeather hissed. He turned blindly to the quaking kit, whose amber eyes were wide with fear of the grumpy medicine cat.

"We were playing hide-and-seek," he began. Jayfeather smirked carefully.

"There's a crevice near the back, where some herbs are stored. I'm counting them now, so there's enough room for you to hide. Go," he hissed. "I didn't see anything. I'm blind anyway."

Eaglekit rushed to the back, right when Dawnkit and Skykit cried 'One!' He shoved himself in the crevice, where the scent of mallow and catmint greeted him. Eaglekit held his breath, waiting for his hiding place to be found, and the sisters to come and announce that they found him.

Jayfeather felt the vibrations of the kits running through camp. They searched fruitlessly for Eaglekit, but Jayfeather knew that they wouldn't find him. When he was tired and cold is when he would come out.

His bad mood thrown for once since his sister died, Jayfeather thought of the kit's future. "StarClan told me of something he must do, although they weren't clear," he muttered. "They were clear that Eaglekit will do something of great caliber, but what they meant, I don't know. Why do they always have to be so confusing?" Jayfeather asked himself, and turned to his herbs.

He counted each individual stalk of thyme, hearing the kit's footsteps, and wishing that that StarClan could be more specific with what could be the fate of their lives.

* * *

He couldn't stop thinking of that she-cat. The way her pelt reflected in the water and her eyes sparkled in pleasure. For the first time in his life, Adderpaw felt love, not just a childhood crush.

Adderpaw wanted to see her again, to see her, even if it was at a distance. He stood up, and shook the leaves from his pelt. Seeing Breezepelt waiting at the entrance, Adderpaw bounced up to him, and asked if he was going on a patrol.

"Sure you can come with me," Breezepelt mewed gruffly. "You have to take your mentor, though. I won't be responsible for an apprentice barely older than a kit."

Adderpaw turned his back, and went to search for Emberfoot. He made a face at Breezepelt, who was always upset and angry, no matter what.

"Emberfoot," Adderpaw called. "Can we go on a hunting patrol with Breezepelt? I haven't been out of the camp on an actual hunting patrol since Whitetail left."

Emberfoot laughed. "Hush," he mewed. "You had me at hunting patrol, let's go."

The mentor and apprentice padded to Breezepelt, who looked gratefully at Emberfoot.

They raced through the moors, taking pride in their speed and grace over their counterparts who shared the lake. Emberfoot stopped, and allowed Breezepelt to race on unassisted.

"Why aren't we going with him?" Adderpaw asked confused.

Emberfoot sighed. "This so called 'CometClan' has ruined everyone's life. They took away his father, and left his mother with two kits. When Breezepelt was younger, his father ignored him, and was focused on a ThunderClan medicine cat, Leafpool.

"Crowfeather even ignored his mate, Nightcloud, because of her. Crowfeather had always been sporadic. He like Feathertail of RiverClan, then Leafpool. We noticed that he only mated with Nightcloud to seem like he was loyal to WindClan, while truly his heart lied in ThunderCLan with Leafpool, and unknowingly, their kits."

Adderpaw was silent. "Breezepelt had a really messed up kithood, didn't he?"

Emberfoot laughed quietly. "Yes, and now he's really upset, since his father either left, or was killed. All he ever wanted to do was have Crowfeather be proud of him, and that never could happen now that he is far, far away."

Adderpaw dipped his head. "Come on," his mentor mewed. "I scent a plump rabbit behind the next hill. Want to race, to see who could catch it first?"

Scenting for himself, to make sue Emberfoot wasn't pulling his tail, the rabbit almost seemed to call out to him. "Go," Emberfoot whispered.

Like ghosts in the night, they shot off. Their feet glided almost off the ground, and the rabbit spotted them early. The sun glinted off their pelts it spots, for they weren't in one place for long. The rabbit zigged and zagged, its tiny brain crowded with simple thoughts of survival.

Finally, Emberfoot caught up to it, his long legs gaining the advantage. He tackled the creature, sending it spinning out of his grasp. On the backstroke, Adderpaw caught it, struggling to get up after the bone crushing blow. He quickly snapped its' neck, so that it could feel no more pain.

Emberfoot shook the dust off of his own pelt. "Good double teaming," he mewed happily. The rabbit was about the size of Adderpaw, except it had a few inches in its ears. "Let's take this back to camp, and then we'll go to the training hollow and practice your jumps."

Each cat taking one half, they carried it to camp, watching Breezepelt fly across the moors, untroubled by family matters.

Nightcloud seemed happy at the rabbit, and offered to share it with Emberfoot, Adderpaw and her kits. Emberfoot declined, like a good warrior, but Adderpaw took a bite. The stringy rabbit washed away all traces of his experiment the day before. His mouth rejoiced at the taste of blood, instead of the taste of watery flesh.

"Thanks, Nightcloud," he meowed, his mouth full. He shuffled after Emberfoot, who led his apprentice to the training hollow.

"Now, here's a move that Harespring taught _me_ when I was an apprentice," Emberfoot mewed, going on to explain about the move.

However, Adderpaw's mind went blank about training. Harespring had the same fur color as _her._ Oblivious to anything else he was told, Adderpaw was finally happy with his love life, only wishing that she would notice him.

* * *

Last night, for the third night in a row, Fawnpaw had stayed awake in the medicine den, watching Toadfoot. He showed all the signs of being a living creature; heartbeat, breathing, eating and drinking, even making dirt, but he wasn't living to Fawnpaw.

What evil animal would do such a thing to a cat? So what if they hadn't believed in your ancestors? They hadn't killed Cloudtail, Mothwing, or any of the others because they didn't believe in StarClan.

All of her family was dead now. Her brother was the latest. Applefur cared none about what was happening around her, not of her parents' death, Featherpaw's disappearance, Marshtail's run in with the Monster, or Toadfoot's memory, now either. All she cared for was her 'darling' mate, who always brought her fresh-kill, or her 'precious' kits, who could do nothing wrong.

Fawnpaw wanted to yowl to StarClan about her losses. Why hadn't they done anything about this? Her family was a nice ShadowClan family, not to mention pure-blooded, too.

"I swear upon Toadfoot's death that I will –" Fawnpaw began, clawing up the dirt near the fresh-kill pile.

A tail stopped her. "You swear you will do what?" Startlingflight asked his eyes wide in curiosity, concern, and … something else…"

"Uh, nothing, Startlingflight," Fawnpaw mewed, her tongue tied. "I'm just upset about my brother's memory, nothing else."

The ginger tom turned away disdainfully. "Ok then. See you around."

AS he went, Fawnpaw wanted to call out, to say she was sorry, and that she wanted to have a conversation with him.

But it was too late. The last of his bright ginger pelt disappeared in the pine, to return later that day, most likely with a lizard or two.

Blackstar looked down upon her, and motioned with his tail. Surprised, the she-cat followed, and met Blackstar halfway. "I hear you're having some troubles," he whispered. Fawnpaw nodded, unable to form words out of her feelings.

"It is unfair, I agree, what is happening to your family. Grayclaw was a great warrior, an asset to his Clan, and so was your mother. They created kits, pure ShadowClan kits, I might add, and all of you serve ShadowClan well. Then, however it all started to go wrong. And now, now you're left with a stupid brother and an irresponsible sister."

Fawnpaw waited for what Blackstar was getting to. He glanced around, like a mischievous kit telling another of his plan to sneak out or camp. "Will you help me get revenge?" he asked, staring Fawnpaw directly in the eye.

Revenge. What a sweet, sweet word on her mouth. Revenge for her sister's betrayal. Revenge for her brother's loss. Revenge for every bad thing that had happened in her life so far. Wasn't it worth it?

Her hackles raised, Fawnpaw was about to answer, but then paused. Was it worth it? Featherpaw could have gone by her own means, and thought that StarClan was false, like Russetfur. Toadfoot could have run into the tree by himself, after all, he _did_ volunteer to go on the raiding patrol.

Cold, hard blue eyes stopped her. "Cloudfall," she hissed, and her lowering hackles shot back up again. _He_ was the reason for Featherpaw, for Toadfoot. She would make him pay.

"I will help you, Blackstar," Fawnpaw decided. Blackstar sighed in relief, letting his guard down. 'However," she added, making Blackstar tense. "There is one condition. I must have my sister back, and there shall be no harm done to her, or any of the other innocents, those who had to join or die."

His eyes became sheltered, like any normal ShadowClan cat would do. He hid his emotions wonderfully. "I cannot promise you that that will not happen. In my eyes, a CometClan cat is a CometClan cat. Whoever believes in something as low as a 'comet' than the stars, they are nothing but a piece of Foxdung to me."

"We shall see then, Blackstar," Fawnpaw replied coolly. She headed out towards the pines, hoping that she got underneath her leader's skin. It seemed to her that he wanted, no _needed,_ her to launch an attack against the CometClan cats.

Confused thoughts running rampant in her mind, Fawnpaw went deeper into the pines, farther away from camp. She was searching for r a familiar ginger pelt, a pelt that could help her with things like this.

* * *

She was outside again. Outside of the overprotecting nursery, where queens watched her every step. It had been hard escaping from their watchful eyes, but now she was free, and it had been worth it.

The first taste of freedom had come with the scent of a rogue, and now she was hooked. Fogkit wanted to find out who that rogue was, why he was here in RiverClan territory, and where he was currently.

It was unfair to say that she and her littermates weren't allowed out of camp. They were so close to being apprenticed, Leopardstar would have to be thinking of it at this very second.

She glanced up at the sun, high above now, almost sunhigh. The scents near the slowly flowing river were old, and RiverClan. Wanting more action, she inched towards the crossing, where the tree bridge once stood magnificently. The river narrowed here, and was quicker paced. Fish darted here and there, making little plopping noises as they rose for air.

These were the sounds that Fogkit grew up with. The bird's calls that ThunderClan enjoyed were so overrated. She could hear them all the way over here, by the noisily babbling river. However, you must get close to listen to RiverClan's enjoyment.

The river talked, and only a trained ear couild know what it was saying. The fish plopped, and gulped bugs, who skated across the water with little swishing sounds. The sounds of pebbles as you stepped over them were enjoyable, too. Who would like the crunch of dirt, when you could hear the _clatter_ of pebbles?

Fogkit spun around. The clatter of pebbles had occurred in her mind as well as on Earth. She glanced around, ignoring the playful sun as it bounced and darted off the ripples in the water.

"What do we have here?" a voice asked. She slowly turned, and was face with a pure black cat sitting across the river. His fluffy tail twitched in amusement as he watched and scented her fear. "I don't bite," he mewed. "I just want to teach you some things."

The tom swam strongly across the river, soon standing next to her with his pelt dripping wet. "I taught this to a small tom last night," he explained.

"How do I know that you're not one of those CometClan cats?" Fogkit mewed defensively; wishing she never slipped the queens and was sleeping safely next to her siblings.

The tom cocked his head. "You are a smart one, no? I assure you, I am not CometClan, although I do believe in FallenClan. I am DarkClan and SnowClan, and I wouldn't take you from your mother. Not yet, anyway. You need your name." However, I shall teach you some things, in case the CometClan cats come to take you away."

He then leapt at her, and she dodged. Landing a few feet farther back, the tom turned. He snorted in resentment. "What you just did is cowardly upon cowardly. A _true_ warrior would never dodge, jump, or hide. A _true_ warrior would turn and fight."

Fogkit's rage was beginning to grow in her. How _dare_ this rogue tom call her cowardly! She was the strongest, fastest, toughest kit back at the nursery!

"Are you going to stand there spluttering, or fight me?" the black tom taunted. Fogkit, beyond words now, blindly leapt at the tom.

She felt herself hit flesh, and then being thrown back down, only to have crushing jaws fitted neatly around her throat.

They applied pressure slowly, forcing Fogkit to accept her mistake, and to learn from it. "I accept my mistake," Fogkit mewed, giving back to the tom what voices told her to say.

Surprised, the tom let go. "You learn quicker than that kit back at camp," he mewed in a gruff voice. He turned to her, and told her to attack once more, this time utilizing what she learned seconds before.

Fogkit counteracted his catch and throw, leaping up nimbly to claw his back. "Very good," he panted. "Take a drink, and I shall show you something more advanced."

The kit, almost apprentice, crouched by the river, taking in its beauty and gracefulness. She gulped a few mouthfuls, and before going to the tom, she glanced once more at her strength, the river. "These out of camp trips keep getting better and better," she whispered to herself, preparing for another fighting bout.

**A/N: I'm indecisive here. Should I put a little bit of Exile's life and journey in each of the chapters? Anyway, please review, it'll make me update sooner.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I've been slacking on this story, because I've been working on my others. Please forgive me, read, and review. **

He had awoken once more, panting with his heart racing. A feeling of annoyance crept into his body. How come the cats never left him alone? He got that if they came close, they would kill him. Why were those cats bothering him in his sleep, always followed by the burning object? What could _he_ do to stop them?

"Oh good, Eaglekit," Dawnkit mewed with excitement, wiggling her back end in happiness. "We're becoming apprentices today, and you're finally awake!"

The tom's face fell, and he sat down. "Have fun then," he muttered, refusing to meet Dawnkit's eyes. She looked at him with confusion, and sat next to him, purring.

Skykit, freshly cleaned by her mother, bounded over and batted Eaglekit's ears playfully. "Even though you have a quarter moon left, Icecloud convinced Firestar to let you become an apprentice with us! You're like a brother, and Icecloud said something about having more apprentices, 'just in case.'"

His sadness evaporated, Eaglekit couldn't stop smiling, even when Icecloud began the thorough process of cleaning him. He was becoming an apprentice early! What other ThunderClan cat could say that they messed with the rule and become a warrior early?

"I wonder who my mentor will be…" Dawnkit mewed, staring off into space. Her eyes clouded in thought, and Eaglekit tried to join her there. Suddenly, as Icecloud released him, and he stumbled forward, and image of a starry tom flashed before his eyes, followed by the image of 6 cats.

"Dawnkit, you will have Poppyfrost. Skykit, you got lucky and have Firestar. I, on the other paw, have Foxleap to teach me." Eaglekit mewed after his brief vision.

Both sisters looked at him with surprise in their eyes, and their mouths agape. "H-h-how did you know that?" Dawnkit asked, her head cocked in confusion and her ears pressed flat against her head.

Eaglekit was about to tell the she-cats, his new sisters, about his vision, but a strange presence stopped him. He felt a light, airy tail tip on his shoulder, but when he whipped around, no cat was there. Shaking off the feeling, Eaglekit heard Firestar call a Clan meeting. He darted out of the nursery, closely followed by Skykit, Dawnkit and Runningwind, who was the StarClan member sent to watch over him.

He scanned the crowd, seeing Poppyfrost and Foxleap sit close to the High Rock, proud and happy. Seeing them, he knew that he was right. Even Firestar looked more excited than normal during the usual ceremonies.

Firestar began the ceremony, and Eaglekit drank in every word, relishing the fact that he was becoming an apprentice even though he was too young. The tail tip was felt again, and the fur on Eaglekit's shoulder began to rise. "StarClan is with you," the presence mewed, "Even though 'FallenClan' is trying to kill you, we are here." Eaglekit saw nothing, nothing at all to say that a cat was with him.

"Uh… I do," he mewed hesitantly, a few seconds after both Skykit and Dawnkit. He watched as Dawnkit, now Dawnpaw, sauntered over to Poppyfrost before going to Foxleap himself.

"Dawnpaw, Eaglepaw, Skypaw!" Each cat chanted, quieting again when Firestar called Dovepaw up for her warrior ceremony.

"What are we going to do today?" Eaglepaw asked his new mentor, not really paying attention to the warrior's ceremony for Dovewing. He spoke quietly, unsure if the warrior would like him or not, and wanting to make a good impression.

Foxleap glanced at the ceremony quickly, and then turned to his first apprentice with laughter in his eyes. "I'm really supposed to show you the territory on the first day," he whispered, still glancing at the High Rock every once in a while. "However, today is such a wonderful day for hunting." The young warrior paused, staring at Eaglepaw. "Dovewing! Dovewing!" he chanted loudly, startling Eaglepaw. "Sorry," Foxleap mewed. "I could show you the territory if you want…"

"No!" Eaglepaw shouted. "I really want to learn how to hunt, please teach me." He followed the smiling red tom out the camp, and into the forest. The vastness of the forest surprised him, especially after the crowdedness of the nursery.

Foxleap instructed him how to spot prey, and the crouch to spot mice. Eaglepaw did as he was told with ease, stalking a mouse trail into the bracken. The scent of blood and a familiar scent assaulted him there. Under the mixed scent of all four Clans, he could clearly smell Cloudtail. A bloodied mess near the scent trail called his attention.

"Brackenfur," Foxleap mewed quietly, not really believing what he was seeing. "That's why he wasn't at your ceremony…"

Foxleap turned and ushered Eaglepaw away from the body, wary of Cloudtail's scent and afraid that the tom still might be here. Eaglepaw followed his mentor stiffly and robotically. What had happened to the caring tom he had known? Without a doubt Eaglepaw knew that Cloudtail had killed the respected warrior.

Fogpaw just effectively pinned Bluepaw to the ground for the third time that day. It was as if the blue gray tom wasn't even trying!

Ever since she became an apprentice, things had gotten a lot easier. She had more freedom, time to see Exile, and constant praise from Mistyfoot, her mentor, on her supreme fighting skills.

"Let me up," Bluepaw rasped, his hind legs scrabbling fruitlessly against Fogpaw's belly fur. She carefully let him up, and sat quietly with her tail wrapped around her paws.

"Once again," Mistyfoot mewed, "You are victorious. You beat Bluepaw, Mistpaw, and Stormpaw. Do you want to try Stonepaw too?"

With a crooked smile on her face, Fogpaw nodded. Her other, bulkier brother was standing near Reedwhisker, looking calm and collected. She twitched her tail tip twice, a call for her brother to come at her with the best he had.

Snarling, Stonepaw charged forward, only to stop directly in front of her. Mistyfoot and Reedwhisker took up places opposite of each other, ready to step in if the fight got too serious. The rest of the warriors and apprentices, however, stayed back, only in to watch.

"Ready?" Mistyfoot asked, looking from brother to sister. Fogpaw nodded, while Stonepaw snarled, his eyes never leaving his sister's. This would be one fight he was going to win. "Well, go then."

Fogpaw circled Stonepaw, looking for the best way to attack her brother. Unwillingly, Stonepaw circled too, not wanting to be that close to her, and always wanting to have her in his sights. That is why, when she darted forward and ducked underneath his large body, he yowled in surprise.

Fogpaw, being light and small, fit under burly Stonepaw easily, and nipped and bit at his underside. He tried swiping his paws underneath, but he couldn't reach her form. Finally, Stonepaw spat, and rolled over to get her out from underneath him. This is what Fogpaw was waiting for, and she shot out from under his looming form, and leapt on top of Stonepaw as he hit the ground. She grasped his throat in her jaws tightly, making him splutter and curse.

"Fogpaw! Fogpaw!" Mistyfoot yowled, breaking Fogpaw from her fighting trance. She was pulled off her choking brother by her mentor violently. "We are _practicing_," Mistyfoot hissed. "Not _killing_. You wouldn't kill your own brother, let alone another warrior! StarClan's warrior code forbids it!"

Unperturbed, Fogpaw glanced into the crystal clear waters of the river. A pair of icy blue eyes stared from deep within their depths, but Fogpaw knew that he wasn't really in the water, or anywhere near it, for that matter. He confessed to her that he lived with the CometClan cats, but only to teach, and for shelter and protection.

Mistyfoot shook Fogpaw's scruff hard, making her head snap back and forth and spittle to fly out of her mouth. "Pay attention," she hissed, "you _cannot_ kill, or pretend to kill, another cat. It is wrong!" Mistyfoot let go of her apprentice, and Fogpaw walked slowly back to camp, not really caring that she just got in trouble.

"I'm so sorry," Mistyfoot mewed to Reedwhisker and Stonepaw. "I wanted to be her mentor so that I could control her, but now… now I just don't know." She turned to watch her apprentice, who was walking away, her tail dragging in the soft riverbank mud.

"Thanks, Exile," Fogpaw mewed cheerfully. Her voice was low enough not to be heard by the cats behind her, by loud enough to be carried along the river. She quoted their last lesson word for word, making sure she did everything right.

"When faced with a warrior of your own size," she mewed, "it is best to fight him by getting behind him and pinning him there." She nodded as she thought of how she pinned Stormpaw and Bluepaw. "For smaller warriors, or apprentices, just use your size, and knock them over, and _then_ kill them." Fogpaw nodded again, thinking of how she had surprised Mistpaw by charging at her. "Finally, for cats larger than you, like myself, you get underneath them, and slash at their bellies. They'll try to roll over to get you out, and it gives the perfect chance to kill them."

Fogpaw snickered. Exile was such a good teacher; definitely one better than Mistyfoot. She wanted to see him now, to learn more, but she was unofficially banned to the camp. She swam easily over the bubbling stream into camp, and sat by the fresh-kill pile.

"Please bring me one of those, Fogpaw," Dawnflower called from the elder's den. Her eyes softening, Fogpaw took the only trout to her father's mother.

"How are you today, Dawnflower?" Fogpaw asked, carefully calculating the she-cat's moves, for Dawnflower had been feeling sick for a while.

"I'm fine," the elder sighed. "My life is catching up to me, though. I'm missing everyone who was important to me in life, like Heavystep, my brother, or your father."

Fogpaw was shocked slightly by her words. Dawnflower missed her kin? It wasn't always about hunting and killing, was it?

"Thanks, Dawnflower," Fogpaw mewed awkwardly, backing out of the elder's den and heading towards the apprentice's den. Her father's mother looked surprised at her actions, but shook it off and continued to eat her trout. "Kits will be kits, no matter how old," she muttered, not paying attention to her grandkit anymore.

The fights that Fogpaw just battled replayed in her mind, narrated by Mistyfoot's voice. "You _cannot_ kill another cat!" repeated itself again and again, with the image of her clamping her jaws on Stonepaw's throat. Was she just going to kill her _brother_?

"Oh, StarClan," she moaned, burying her head within her paws. She knew that she couldn't stop seeing Exile, for he was a good teacher, but she had to stop trying to kill cats in battle, even if that was what she was being taught.

Stonepaw entered the apprentice's den, his head down and his ears flat. "Oh," he meowed. "I'll leave you alone, Fogpaw, if you –"

"No," Fogpaw assured her brother. She got up, and pressed her fur against his. "Listen, for today, and the fight, well… I'm kinda… kinda s-sorry."

Adderpaw cautiously smelled the border between RiverClan and his own Clan, making sure that there was no fishy scent where moors belonged. Satisfied, he waltzed over to near the horseplace fences, and peeked inside. A large brown horse stared at him, and snorted. Adderpaw jumped, and then laughed and started making faces at the large creature.

"What are you doing?" A she-cat asked, and figuring it was a cat from his own Clan, Adderpaw laughed, and continued making the faces.

"I'm having fun, why do you ask?" he chuckled, turning around to face the she-cat. His whole body froze up when he saw that it wasn't a WindClan she-cat, but a she-cat from CometClan, the one he saw fishing with Furzeleaf before.

"I'm asking, because I need new cats for my Clan, and you seem to be a good match," Ivypaw mewed, sitting down with her tail curled around her paws. She looked at Adderpaw meaningfully, but the tom just stared at her, frozen in terror. "Do you believe in StarClan?"

Adderpaw just stared, unsure of what to do. This she-cat, Ivypaw he was sure her name was, was from CometClan, and she was asking him if he believed in StarClan. Was he dreaming?

"Of course I do," he spat, the fur on the back of his neck bristling. "There is no other clan of the skies."

Ivypaw looked at him with regret, before leaping upon the much larger tom. Adderpaw snarled, and tried to throw the she-cat off, but she clawed his face and slipped underneath his belly. Unsure of what to do, Adderpaw collapsed, crushing the she-cat beneath him.

Ivypaw squeaked in terror. This wasn't supposed to happen! He was supposed to roll over, and she kill him! Suddenly, the weight was lifted off her, and as she struggled to her feet, she saw the tom race off into the moors.

"Great FallenClan," she muttered, and took off after him. Her speed had already improved since she joined CometClan, thanks to Whitetail and Furzeleaf, but she still was no match for a full-blooded WindClan cat.

Out of breath, and far away from her target, Ivypaw slowed down, and waited for her mentor, who had been watching her. "Close, but no fish," Robinwing mewed, slinking out of a bed of reeds near the lakeside. "Let's follow them, though," the once RiverClan cat mewed snidely, and took off into the moors, his apprentice following.

They slowed once they reached the dip in the moors, and observed the cats within. Adderpaw was breathing heavily by the fresh-kill pile, although he turned to no cat and told them what happened. The rest were walking, chatting, or sharing tongues, like normal clan cats would.

"He won't tell," Robinwing meowed quietly, almost a whisper. The two cats slunk out the earshot of the WindClan cats, before running towards their camp. "I won't tell Cloudfall, but next time, get them to convert, and if they refuse, _then_ kill them. No mistakes. We want either a new CometClan cat, or a dead one, understand?"

Ivypaw put her head down in shame, and followed her mentor into the water, and over the bridge. She was thinking of that tom, and how he knew what to do to counteract her attacks. "He would be a _wonderful_ CometClan member," she sighed, grabbing a mouse from the fresh-kill pile.

"Adderpaw?" Emberfoot questioned, watching his apprentice's sides heave in and out. "Are you ok?"

Adderpaw glanced at his mentor, and nodded his head. "I wanted to see how fast I could make it from the horseplace to camp, Emberfoot. That's all."

Emberfoot nodded suspiciously, and walked over to Sunstrike, where he began sharing tongues with her. A twinge of regret hit Adderpaw, but it was replaced with a warm, tingly feeling instead. That she-cat was independent, and could take care of herself. Just what he wanted.

Fawnpaw pressed herself up against Startlingflight, enjoying the warmth and comfort his body gave. "Thanks, Startlingflight," she whispered, glad he agreed to come hunting with her. Of course, they had given up hunting a while ago, when each piece of prey seemed to run away the second they got to stalking it. Now, they lay in the branches of a large pine tree, surrounded by the scent of clear pine sap, and the sound of small birds chirping in the nest. From this point in the tree, Fawnpaw could see for a while, over RiverClan territory, and even saw a glance of the mountains the Clans crossed during the Great Journey.

The rough feeling of Startlingflight's tongue on her fur was intoxicating, and she drowsily washed his fur too. His ginger pelt shined brightly, spotted easily in the dark green tree. The sun glinted off her fur, but it didn't reflect its warm light as brilliantly, or stand out as much.

"No problem," Startlingflight groggily mewed. He wrapped his long tail around Fawnpaw's flank, and she sighed happily. Maybe there was something in her life to live for.

"Now what?" Falconkit asked Marshkit, his haunches wriggling back and forth. Marshkit and he had been playing 'Dare,' and so far, he was winning. After the last challenge, seeing who could steal Cloudfall's piece of prey, Marshkit seemed not to want to play anymore.

"Um…" his brother mewed, thinking hard. "How about seeing who could swim across the stream quickest?" Marshkit looked at the stream running through camp with fear in his eyes, and his brown kit fur beginning to rise.

Falconkit snorted, and observed his brother. "No," he declared. "You're acting like a StarClan cat! That is so _easy_." He glanced around camp, seeing what they could do. Cloudfall was eating his recently recovered rabbit, and grumbling underneath his breath. The other kits were either talking or sleeping near Whitetail, afraid to leave her side since Cloudfall reprimanded the two toms.

"How about…" Falconkit paused, the greatest plan of all forming in his tiny kit head. "We have to leave the camp, and go take a piece of fresh-kill from one of the other Clans. No, not _any_ Clan, _ShadowClan_. They're the toughest."

Marshkit shook his head. "No," he whispered. "No, I won't." Falconkit glared at his brother. He spat in his direction, disappointed that his brother was such a mouse.

"You are such a WindClan cat, Marshkit," he growled. "Any worthy CometClan cat would do it, which is why I'm going to do it!"

Sootkit walked up to the two fighting toms, her head cocked in confusion. "Do what?" she asked, purring and rubbing against the two cats.

"Raid the ShadowClan fresh-kill pile!" Falconkit meowed, pulling away from Sootkit. "Are you in? Or are you going to be a mouse hearted cat like my brother?"

She sat down, and thought. To see ShadowClan seemed interesting. She had never been there before, although she did have dreams about those pines, and how they called out to her. Sootkit agreed with Falconkit, for a _true_ CometClan cat would do such a thing, and it would make her mother, Whitetail, proud. Sootkit gasped. It would also show Cloudfall that she was a quick, cunning, and worthy cat to be apprenticed. "I'm in," she mewed quietly.

Falconkit glared at Marshkit. "Are you sure that you're not coming?" the brown kit shook his head. "Then make a distraction, so that it'll look like Sootkit and I are in camp this whole time, got it?"

Reluctantly, Marshkit nodded, and padded over to the nursery. "Coming, Sootkit and Falconkit?" he asked. It looked really funny to see his brother talking to himself, Falconkit decided. The tom's tail tip disappeared into the nursery just as Whitetail opened her eyes, and she closed them not much later, believing her kits to be safe.

"Come on," Falconkit whispered, ducking into the reeds, and facing the current of the river where the tree bridge was once. With a gasp, he jumped into the water, Sootkit following and his paws churning in the water. He made it in a few strokes, and dragged the she-cat out after him. They made their way over the RiverClan territory, sticking close to the lake, where they could blend in.

The white tom looked over his shoulder to make sure that nobody was following them. "We're clear," he whispered to Sootkit, and motioned for her to continue. They reached the tall pines, and immediately Sootkit was mesmerized. The scent was much stronger here than the mixed scents in his own Clan, and Falconkit gagged.

With a cocky gesture, he stepped over the border, making a show for Sootkit, who laughed. They walked deeper into the unfamiliar territory, unfamiliar of the cat that was following them like a shadow.

**A/N: Review, por favor? It will be greatly accepted and used for next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Yes, slow updating. But again, I'm **_**enjoying**_** my summer. Please read and review!**

She had made up with her family, Fogpaw decided as she and Stormpaw hunted together. Their tails swished in unison as they held their paws poised over the river. The early morning sun felt warm, and made the water glint and sparkle. No fish seemed to pass by them currently, but the splashes near the river mouth alerted them to their presence.

"So," Fogpaw muttered, keeping her voice low as to not make the fish stay near the river mouth. "Do you like Silvermoon? I see you staring at her always, and you can't talk while with her."

Stormpaw started, falling into the water and making a big splash. His fur was slicked to his skin, but the water rolled slowly off as he climbed out of the river. The gray tom glared at his sister as he lay out on the bank.

She joined him, pressing her fur against his. "Sorry," she mewed, laughing as he glared at her. "But tell me, _do_ you like her?"

Her eldest brother mumbled something unintelligible, slowly rasping his tongue on his quickly drying fur. She nudged his slightly darker pelt, and he muttered a small yes.

"I knew it!" Fogpaw crowed, jumping up. She glanced at the river, assessing the fish situation, and her tail drooped when she realized that not even the fish splashing near the mouth were there anymore. "Mistyfoot won't be too happy," she mewed, looking back at Stormpaw with fear and sadness in her eyes.

His fur now completely dry and fluffier than ever, Stormpaw joined his sister. "You're right. There won't be any others anytime soon, either. Want to go try and catch some land prey? See how we fare as ThunderClan cats!"

The cats laughed, prancing off from the gurgling river onto the rest of the RiverClan expanse of territory. The marshy grass proved well for the finding of small mice and voles. However, the prey was worse for the capture then they thought, for their technique was horribly off. Tails dragged on the ground, making fallen leaves rustle, and paws landed harshly, making the small puddles splash. Finally, on the rungs of pure luck, Stormpaw caught a mouse. The tom jumped from a long distance, landing upon the small creature and killing it from his weight.

The squished mouse hung limply from his strong jaws, looking forlorn. "We have something to give to the fresh-kill pile, though," Stormpaw mewed.

Fogpaw laughed, and took off towards camp, racing her favorite sibling. In the end, he finally won, and both came into camp muddy and tired, with their fur windblown. Beetlewhisker looked at the two, and shook his head when he saw their appearance, and walked away when he saw the prey in Stormpaw's mouth.

She looked at the sun, as it climbed higher into the sky. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Uh, hey, Stormpaw," she called. "I got to go now, I'm going to go hunting with… uh, Rushfoot. Maybe we'll catch something this time!"

Her brother chuckled, but his eyes weren't on her. Fogpaw dashed out of camp without anyone's eyes on her, least of all not her brother, who was lusting after Silvermoon. The light gray she-cat trotted over to horseplace, where she and Exile had agreed to meet, as not to alert either of their Clans. She sat with her tail curled around her paws, and the shadows quickly ate her form as she waited for her better mentor.

**Linelinelineline**

He had been taking long strolls to the horseplace three times a day, hoping to find the she-cat, _Ivypaw_, there again. Even though she had threatened StarClan, and tried to fight him, he couldn't resist her. Just the way that she held herself, and put herself to the full of her belief made him get shivers up his spine.

"Going to horseplace again?" A low voice asked, making Adderpaw whip around to stare at the cat. Breezepelt stood menacingly behind him, glaring at him with amber eyes. "Don't cheat your Clan with another cat, let alone a cat not _in_ a Clan that lives with horses. Cats might find out, and then you have to have kits with a cat from your Clan, kits that you _won't love_." The end of his sentence was finished as a snarl.

Adderpaw inched away from the angered cat, trying to escape being hurt. "Breezepelt," Swallowtail purred, rubbing against the stiff tom. "Leave him alone, I've seen him on those trips. He does nothing much, maybe make faces at the horses or cloud watch. It's ok. I'm just worried that he's going to face one of _those_ cats. Weaselfur was killed near the RiverClan border the other day, and we can't lose our only warrior apprentice."

The apprentice turned away in shame, for he never thought that anyone was following him, and seeing him make faces. He had to be quiet, and leave, making sure that no cat would follow. Not only to stop them from seeing him make faces, but just in case Ivypaw was there.

**Linelinelineline**

"Eaglepaw, are you coming to fight with me, Skypaw, and the rest of the apprentices? The mentors say that there's going to be this big competition between us." Dawnpaw came towards the large brown tom. He had been grooming Blossompatch, both purring in happiness and delight.

The sun shone down on top of the ThunderClan camp, glinting of the occasional pelt. He looked up groggily and then back to Blossompatch in disdain. "Sorry," he muttered, and followed Dawnpaw out of camp towards the training hollow.

He took advantage of the long walk in the afternoon to wake up slightly, for he had dozed off while sharing tongues with Blossompatch.

As he approached the hollow, Eaglepaw's eyes finally opened. He observed each apprentice carefully, watching for signs of fear or anxiousness. Flowerpaw talked with Redpaw, giving quick glances to Firestar and Brambleclaw. Rainpaw talked with no cat, just glared ahead, preparing herself for the course ahead. Smokepaw sat by her leader and deputy, laughing quietly at the ordeal the warrior apprentices had to do. The sisters sat by one another, pressing their fur together in condolence, but not talking. Eaglepaw went over to them, but stopped in his tracks as Skypaw gave his a glare, and Dawnpaw looked sadly at him.

"Did I –" he asked, before being cut off by the rest of the mentor's entering the hollow. They streamed through the entrance, their pelts blending into one, and separating only when they reached Firestar.

"Today," he announced, "there will be a competition, like the one that we had with all four Clans, but it shall be within ThunderClan, as we have more than enough apprentices."

The ginger leader withdrew, and Brambleclaw stepped forward. "The rules are as follows. All warrior apprentices must compete. There shall be no cheating. There will be four events, which are Running, Hunting, Fighting, and Climbing, all which are essential things for a warrior to know."

The leader smiled a large smile. "The winner of the most events will win pick of the fresh kill pile not once, but for a _whole_ quarter moon!" All quivered at the thought of winning, and choosing the best prey over everyone.

"The first competition will be Hunting," Brambleclaw announced, drawing Eaglepaw out of the daze of boredom he was in. The dark brown tabby chuckled. Birds chirped in the trees above and in the forest within. "You all have until the sun reaches full sunhigh to come back with the most prey." Eaglepaw looked towards the sun, noticing that he had not much time before noon. "Begin," the deputy spoke, and the apprentices shot off into the undergrowth.

Eaglepaw went quickly, but not too fast, to the twoleg place. He wanted to save his energy for the race, but yet have enough time to hunt. The sounds of prey all around him made him unsure of whether he was right in going to the abandoned twoleg home, but he knew that no other cat would go to that prey rich place. Mice and small birds could be heard indoors, and he was good at stalking them in the overgrown garden. Eaglepaw took one look, and crept through the stones, his mouth collecting saliva just _looking_ into the prey rich place.

Mice stood in the open, sure that there were no predator to watch them as the carefully picked up seeds. Birds sung their tunes as they worked, cleaning their feathers off, and making quite a clamor as their songs melded together. There was even a family of rabbits, Eaglepaw thought with surprise.

Quickly he set to work, picking off the mice easily, as they were not used to predators. He stuck to the overgrown bushes as not to alert the other prey. A pile of mouthwatering mice was beginning to form, as the brown tom had caught five of the delectable creatures. He set about catching the rabbits, for the timid animals were looking around wildly. Eaglepaw rushed the largest one, and caught it within his jaws, snapping its neck, but making the others dash away in fear.

To his dismay, the birds had stopped calling, and were watching carefully for any intruder that had made the rabbits flee. Knowing that he couldn't get more than two birds easily without one of the others calling, he had saved them for last. He crept upon a blue jay, marveling at its colors, when he stopped under the large rhododendron bush where the bird was resting. He shot a paw through the leafy branches, silencing the majestic bird before it could call out, and pulling it towards him. Its wings fluttered once or twice before Eaglepaw snapped them, and dragged the dead animal to the pile, along with the rabbit.

He had to get back soon, the tom decided as he looked into the sky. It was almost sunhigh, and time would be out then. He tried for one more bird, a robin with a blood red breast, but missed it as it flew high into the air, cawing its alarm loudly. Once they heard its alarm, all the prey vanished, leaving no trace of them ever being there.

Eaglepaw placed his catch on the large rabbit, making sure it didn't fall off, and dragged the pile towards camp. It took longer than expected, for there were many brambles in the way for him to maneuver around and get stuck on. When he finally reached the hollow, it caught him by surprise that the prey was already counted out, and Rainpaw sat with a smug face.

Firestar's eyes bulged when he saw Eaglepaw's load, but sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Eaglepaw. You came after the time limit. None of that counts."

Dawnpaw came over, and softly mewed, "don't worry. If you have come in time, it would've beaten Rainpaw's measly three mice and three squirrels easily."

Eaglepaw thanked the she-cat, unawares of his leader telling them of the next event. "… climbs the highest in Sky Oak wins." He turned away from Dawnpaw, and right into the face of Skypaw, who snickered.

The cats positioned themselves at the base of the mighty tree, and after Brambleclaw's 'begin,' they began their ascent.

Although Redpaw had strong back legs, and was an apprentice for longer than every other cat, he lost his nerve around the first branch, having to back down quickly. Dawnpaw was next, almost falling by being spooked by a squirrel. Flowerpaw and Rainpaw's screeches could be heard from the other side of the tree as they fell, Rainpaw accidently unhinging Flowerpaw's claws, and she falling on top of her. Fortunately, the fall wasn't that great, and they both landed in a pile of moss.

"Only one left," Eaglepaw told himself as he hitched he claws in to scramble even higher on the big tree. He knew that the height that he was at now was no match to when Cinderheart went climbing and fell, so he knew that he had a whiles to go. "Where's Skypaw?"

The white she-cat was ahead of him, and as she reached a branch, she settled, and watched Eaglepaw's struggle. "I'm going to win this simply. Why? _Sky_paw,_ Sky_ Oak. You can't climb higher than me, and even if you could, good luck coming down!"

He gnashed his teeth, and set about getting to the cocky sister's branch. Each pawlegnth he took hurt, the sap of the tree gunking up his claws. With a grunt, he reached her branch, and she laughed. "So it's a tie?"

He snarled a no, and kept going, wanting to win this challenge greatly. "You're crazy, Eaglepaw!" Skypaw called, knowing she had lost and beginning her descent. "You're crazy, just like your mother!"

Eaglepaw stopped dead. His mother. He hadn't thought about her in StarClan knows how long. He tried seeing past the branches into her camp, but could find nothing. A hard wind blew through him at that point, and Eaglepaw knew that it was from the cats his mother had joined. He hissed a warning, and began shimmying down the tree, not really caring about the speed.

He was down soon, to the thankfulness of his heart, which had felt like it was going to burst in fear. Fozleap smiled at his apprentice, knowing that in the past few days, all their training had been worth it. "Eaglepaw wins!" Firestar yowled, happy for the tom, but slightly upset that his own wasn't winning. "Next, Fighting."

The matches were quickly set up, skill deciding who you were battling. Dawnpaw and Skypaw went first, the sisters a near even mathc for each other. Near the end of the battle, however, Skypaw charged her smaller sister, making her fall on her back, and easily pinned.

Skypaw was announced the winner, and Flowerpaw and Redpaw ushered into the clearing. The two took to circling each other, watching for weaknesses. It was Redpaw who attacked first. He charged, like Skypaw, but Flowerpaw was ready for it. She stood on her back legs, preparing to crush the tom, when he detoured to her left side, making the she-cat twist and fall. It was an easy pin with her like that.

Eaglepaw and Rainpaw went in next. The she-cat hissed and growled, showing that she was in no mood for losing. His limbs tired from climbing, Eaglepaw felt as if he could barely move as the blue gray she-cat darted towards him and knocked him over with a quick blow to the head. As she went over to pin him, Eaglepaw thrust his hind legs in a last futile attack. It worked, as Rainpaw was thrown into the underbrush. When she came out, however, she was snarling, and quickly leapt upon Eaglepaw, who was struggling to get up. "You won't win," she hissed quietly in his ear, and pinned him on the spot.

"Rainpaw wins!" Firestar announced. "It shall now be Rainpaw verses Redpaw, as they are the most experienced."

The siblings sauntered into the clearing, Redpaw telling Flowerpaw 'he knew it was best to leave climbing out so he could win fighting' before he left.

They faced each other, paws twitching in excitement as Brambleclaw told them they could begin. As usual, they began circling each other, when Rainpaw attacked. Caught off guard, Redpaw stumbled, and swiped at her face. It was a harsh battle, neither sibling willing to give in. It finally ended, however, with two blows in quick sucession to Rainpaw's body, which made her collapse.

"Redpaw is the winner!" Firestar announced. He turned to Skypaw, who was cowering near her sister. "For the final battle, we will have Redpaw and Skypaw!"

He turned eagerly to his apprentice. "F-Firestar," she mewed, "Why don't we just give it to Redpaw, as I haven't had as much training as him, and we all know who will win."

The leader looked sadly upon his apprentice, but nodded. "As you wish. The winner of Fighting is Redpaw!" The tom looked happily among his friends, ahppy atleast that he had won something.

"The last competition will be Running," Firestar yowled. He drew a line in the sand with his tail, and the apprentices lined up eagerly. "You will run from here to the stream and back, being careful not to go over the border. This is a test of both speed and endurance."

The brown tom lined up next to Skypaw and Redpaw, feeling more energized as he rested while watching the siblings fight. "Begin!" Brambleclaw yowled.

They ran off into the territory, knowing where they were going, and wanting to win. Rainpaw was in the lead, closely followed by the rest of the pack. Skypaw and Dawnpaw were falling behind, although Redpaw wasn't doing too well either. Eaglepaw was in a step-by-step race with Flowerpaw, each intending to win. Eaglepaw's luck kicked in as Flowerpaw tried to dodge a rock, and failed. Her trip up left her in last place, without much hope of winning.

Suddenly, a kick of high speed flowed into Eaglepaw. He turned to the right, where he saw a starry cat racing along with him. "You don't think they called me Runningwind for nothing, right?" he joked, urging Eaglepaw faster. He was startled as Rainpaw came hurtling back the other way, but understood when he saw the stream. He touched the bank quickly, and raced off, trying to catch Rainpaw before she won the whole thing.

The forest was alive as he ran, and it would have been a wonderful day to stroll about, if they weren't having this competition. He passed the others, each as surprised as he when he came dashing out of the bracken.

A light came to him, and he knew the clearing was near. He burst through the bracken, Runningwind disappearing as soon as he hit the light.

Eaglepaw saw all the mentors, who were congratulating him on winning. The only thing that was disturbing Eaglepaw as he ignored the compliments, was the lack of a snotty blue gray she-cat.

"Where's Rainpaw?" he asked, turning to Firestar. "She was ahead of me the whole time."

**Linelinelineline**

Fawnpaw sat happily, continuing her session with Startlingflight out in the open of camp. There was barely anyone there, however. Only she, Startlingflight, Ferretfur and Olivenose were out in the open. The rest were out on patrols, or hunting parties, or simply sleeping. Blackstar had been in his den for unuaually long, and he would tell Fawnpaw that he was planning things. Redwillow had gotten his paw stuck in a tree, causing the fragile bone to break.

She groggily lifted her head, examining the clear blue sky. It was sunhigh, and the pines provided little protection from the sun's warming rays. She basked in it, her fur pressed against Startlingflight's happily.

A small head poked itself out of the entrance, making Fawnpaw shake her head in wonder. Did she really just see what she thought she saw?

"I'll be back," she told the ginger tom, and walked over to the entrance. There, she saw nothing. She took a step further into the territory, scenting and searching. Was… was that a _CometClan_ scent? Dear StarClan help them if CometClan would come this close to a Clan's camp!

Suddenly, she hear a rustle, and a white blur race into camp. She tried chasing after it, but was attacked. Before she could yowl, a small tail was shoved in her mouth. "Quiet!" The gray kit demanded. "Falconkit will be done quickly, and then I can let you go!"

Fawnpaw wanted to ask what was going on, and why she was being held hostage by a kit. When she tried to ask, however, the kit scratched her nose and hissed at her to be quiet.

Her eyes welling up with tears, Fawnpaw looked closely at the gray flecked kit, realizing something familiar about her.

"Sootkit?" she asked through her tail. The kit ripped her tail out of the apprentice's mouth quickly, and stared with big eyes.

"H-h-how do you kn-know my name?" Sootkit stuttered.

"You_ were_ a kit of ShadowClan," Fawnpaw explained, "but you –"

She was cut off by a yowl, Olivenose's yowl, from camp. "Intruder! A kit just stole the biggest toad from the fresh kill pile!"

Fawnpaw was trampled by a white kit, who turned to Sootkit with a big toad in his mouth. "Come on!" he ordered, and she followed. Soon, more warriors of ShadowClan came out, jumping over the stupefied form of Fawnpaw in their pursuit.

**Linelinelineline**

Falconkit ran, as fast as he could towards his camp. Even though he didn't want to admit it, the voice in his head told him it was a _very_ stupid idea for doing that, and Mrashkit was right for staying home. "Great FallenClan," he hissed as he heard the warriors behind him gaining. "We must have all of ShadowClan behind us!"

Exile, the shadow that had been following them, heard the commotion. He ran swiftly, but quietly to watch the whorde come near. Then, like the shadows their Clan was named after, he attacked. Three warriors fell, seemingly without a trace as to who did it. The mob stopped, and glanced back at the bleeding cats. It wasn't fatal, and Exile wasn't trying to kill them, he just wanted to let the kits get safely home. He dropped from a tree on the cat foremost in the front, shoving him into the ground and clawing his back before climbing up the tree without a trace.

"It's haunted!" a she-cat screeched, her tail firmly between her legs. "Those kits were spirits from the Dark Forest, sent to steal food for the older, eviler counterparts! They're going to get us!"

A few followed her lead, going back to camp like mice. The remaining group was small, and, not including the injured four, they only had three cats. "Should we go on, Olivenose?" A dark gray tom asked.

Olivenose, as she was called, turned towards the lake. "No, Scorchfur. They have only taken one piece of prey, but leave guards by the RiverClan border so that they can't cross it again."

Scorchfur dipped his head, and deciding he had had enough, Exile slipped away like a ghost. He caught the kits scents, and followed their slow progress through RiverClan territory, ready to fight for them if necessary.

_"Shut up, you mousebrained kit," Harefall snarled as the black kit mewled in terror of being separated from it's mother. He blended so well into the snowcovered mountains, unlike the bundle of dark black fur in his mouth. _

_The rocky mountainous landscape disappeared, along with the snow, to reveal a winding, slowmoving river. Two other cats sat within the river, four kits by their paws._

_"Hello, Salmonfall and Ravenfall," the SnowClan leader mewed to the other two, who dpped their heads. "now, we all agree that FallenClan has been sending us dreams of the 'Others' and these kits are going to find them?"_

_Ravenfall nodded. "Kindlepaw is old enough to know what is going on and to lead the others. Along with Blackpaw and Moonpaw of StreamClan, the youger ones shall learn and help."_

_Salmonfall nodded. He turned to the two, clearly siblings, and snarled orders at them. "You are to travel far, far away. Listen always to Kindlepaw, and teach the ones younger than you."_

_"That goes for you too, kit," Harefall snarled in the black kit's ears. He turned his attention to the whole group in disdain, for they were all half Clan kits. "Travel through the nearest city, and then over the river. You should come to a large monsterpath, with the scents of many cats. Those scents are what you are looking for. Once you get a good whiff, set out over the mountains, and once you clear them, you shall find the 'Others.'"_

_Kindlepaw nodded, glaring harshly at the leaders. "Now set off," salmonfall growled._

_"Wait!" ravenfall mewed. "We should give names to the youger ones, so that they shan't get used to being called 'kit.'"_

_"Why?" Salmonfall asked. "We are not their mothers!"_

_"Exile," Harefall snarled, ignoring Salmonfall. "For you have been _exiled_ from your Clan."_

_Ravenfall looked disdainfully upon the SnowClan leader. "You, younger sister of Kindlepaw. You shall be named Flowingpaw, even though you aren't apprentice age yet. Your silvery pelt looks like the flowing stream upon whose blood runs through your veins."_

_"_Now_ go," salmonfall rumbled, his claws unsheathing. "Find them for us, so that these dreams may stop."_

_The leaders turned their backs to the kits, and faced with no other option than to go on their journey, they left._

Exile shook his head. That memory was more powerful than it should have been. He still kept an eye on Falconkit and Sootkit, and so far, no danger had presented itself to them. He would protect them, so that nothing as bad as what happened in his kithood would befall them.

**A/N: Yes, I know, long. But you did it! So please review?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: How good does it feel to update! The only reason I'm doing so is because I lost my notebook, and I don't really have the heart to write a full blown novel. Plus, I like it here. Enjoy, I know I've kept you for a while with last chapter's cliffhangers :D **

Adderpaw bounded happily along the lakeside, seeing horseplace grow nearer and nearer. He had doubt deep within his stomach, doubting that Ivypaw was there. It's not like she would be there, just waiting.

Anyway, he had fun with the horses. There was a pure black one he named Nightfur, and a white one he named Whitefeather. It was fun talking to them, and they looked back with big, sad eyes. Maybe they wished to be cats, so that they were smaller and didn't make so much noise, Adderpaw thought.

He saw Whitefeather looking over her fence, and he moved quicker. He liked making faces at her and her annoyed huffs that blew his fur back.

The horse grew larger, and Adderpaw stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes. "Mneh!" he mewed loudly, making Whitefeather huff. He laughed, and un-crossed his eyes. A movement caught his eye, and Ivypaw walked out of the shadows with a weird look on her face.

"What are you _doing_?" she asked, and Adderpaw noticed that his tongue was still sticking out. Adderpaw shuffled his feet, and tried to calm his racing heart. The former-ThunderClan she-cat blended well into the shadows, and nearly scared the death out of him.

"I come here often," Adderpaw spluttered. "The horses… I come for them?" The end of his sentence turned upward into a question, and Adderpaw cursed himself for doing that. When talking to a CometClan cat, especially Ivypaw, one must have the upmost confidence.

"Interesting…" Ivypaw muttered, turning away, and staring at Nightfur. 'I see you here often, that I do. But… you always seem to be waiting for someone." The edges of Ivypaw's mouth curled up in a malicious smile. She turned back to Adderpaw, and weaved around his body. "You wait for me, don't you?" she whispered, making a shudder run down Adderpaw's spine.

"Y-y-yeah," he mewed. She was doing great. This was what he dreamed of almost every night, and she was doing wonderfully. This is why Adderpaw had a crush on Ivypaw.

Suddenly, she stopped, and licked his nose. "I'd always want to come over, but I'm not sure if you'd be mean to me. I mean, I _am_ of another Clan."

"No!" Adderpaw nearly shouted. "I mean, it doesn't matter that you're from CometClan! I think you're really brave for joining a new Clan and –" Ivypaw stopped his babbling by shoving her tail in his mouth. She shushed him, and began rhythmically licking his forehead. When his purring started, it startled her. It wasn't something small that built up; no it was loud and obnoxious from the start. Or maybe it was just her?

Hay rustled a bit in the horseplace, and Ivypaw stopped her over-exaggerated flirting. Her eyes pinpointed a cat-like shape waiting in the shadows. She removed her tail from Adderpaw's mouth, and began stalking the cat.

"Wh-wait!" Adderpaw cried groggily, startling Ivypaw and making her jump into the air. "Where are you going?"

A light gray blur raced out of the shadows and towards RiverClan territory as if the whole CometClan was after it. Ivypaw hissed angrily, and began following it. She wanted to get _something_ for Cloudfall!

"Uh, meet me here tomorrow, ok?" Adderpaw called as Ivypaw streaked across the territory. From what he could tell, she nodded. The WindClan apprentice happily bounded back to camp, glad that his frequent trips were worth something.

**Linelinelineline**

Fogpaw ran as if warriors from the Dark Forest were after her. She just saw Ivypaw of CometClan trying to get Adderpaw, the only apprentice from WindClan, to join their evil Clan. If Fogpaw hadn't made a dash for it then, and given Ivypaw a distraction, Adderpaw would've been dead, or in CometClan!

But now the she-cat was after her, and Fogpaw seriously doubted her motives. This wasn't very smart, and she could pay with her life!

"Fogpaw?" Duskfur asked as the apprentice quickly raced up to the warrior. "Are you ok? What's going on?"

Fogpaw didn't answer, and focused on running. She was no WindClan cat, yet she was making the moor cats proud, Fogpaw was sure. The gray she-cat ran right through a puddle, splattering both herself and Duskfur with mud. "Great!" the warrior hissed, immediately starting to clean her fur.

Fogpaw wanted to screech a 'no,' but it was too late. Ivypaw came barreling across the land, and smack into Duskfur. There was a yowl and some quick fighting moves before the warrior was stopped and most likely injured.

"I have to get to camp!" Fogpaw wheezed, trying to usher herself faster. Camp was looming closer and closer, and within it was Duskfur's saving. "Duskfur is being attacked! By the Marshy Puddles!" Fogpaw announced, yowling her loudest. She startled a few warriors, and Mistyfoot quickly got a patrol together. The apprentice collapsed near the center of camp, hoping to StarClan Duskfur was ok.

**Linelinelineline**

"Rainpaw was ahead of you?" Brambleclaw asked quietly, staring deeply into Eaglepaw's eyes. Eaglepaw nodded fiercely, still somewhat out of breath.

Firestar's eyes looked troubled. "Get the rest of the apprentices, and find her –" A screech interrupted his orders, and Firestar became nervous. "Now! Go!"

Eaglepaw shot off into the underbrush, hoping to notice something he missed before. There was nothing new, except the positions of the singing birds had changed. The apprentice knew better than to call out Rainpaw's name. He didn't know what could be lurking within the ThunderClan lands.

A cat ran right into Eaglepaw, knocking the tom off his feet. It was Skypaw. "Get out of my way, you mousebrain! I need to win this, I'm so hungry!" Eaglepaw ignored the she-cat's insults, and quickly whispered that Rainpaw was missing, and there could be something dangerous afoot. Her words quickly faded off, and a concerned glint came into her eye.

The two padded carefully farther into the woods, alert for anything out of the ordinary. "Wait!" Skypaw announced loudly, then giving a guilty look and saying more quietly, "I think I smell something. Coppery, like blood."

Fear pumped itself into Eaglepaw's system, making the tom freeze. "We have to get there. She can't die!" He followed as Skypaw quickly sniffed out the path, and what they found surprised them. Rainpaw lay on the ground, bleeding to death. Flowerpaw stood above her, battling furiously with Leafpool.

The former ThunderClan medicine cat noticed she had company, and dispatched Flowerpaw by ripping out her throat. She gave a sympathetic glance towards the two, and mewed aloud, "It's for my Clan."

Eaglepaw stared in awe at the place where Leafpool disappeared. Wasn't she supposed to be nice, and caring? CometClan must have done so much to change her.

"I found a scent!" Called Brambleclaw, and the sound of a bunch of cats trampling the underbrush came to the stunned apprentices. They burst into the clearing, and a collective gasp followed.

"Who did this?" Firestar demanded, turning to Eaglepaw and Skypaw. The two were still frozen in shock at what Leafpool did, so they didn't speak. He turned to Rainpaw, who was still slightly alive and asked the same question.

"Sky…paw," she whispered, looking at the she-cat desperately. She mouthed the words 'help me,' but Firestar didn't notice. The entire ensemble of cats that had gathered looked at the apprentice with fear. She had killed the two? What was the matter with her?

"No, no, no! It wasn't me! I swear to StarClan I didn't do it. Right Eaglepaw?" She turned to the tom, but he couldn't speak. He shook his head, and tried to force words out, but they didn't come.

"Brambleclaw, Foxleap. Take her to camp. We'll have a meeting when we get there. Eaglepaw, take Rainpaw with Redpaw. Hopefully Jayfeather can heal her." Eaglepaw did as Firestar told him, and felt guilty on how he couldn't help Skypaw.

As the cats moved off, Leafpool sniggered in the bushes. The best way to take down a Clan was to turn them against each other.

**Linelinelineline**

Falconkit laughed as he played with Sootkit. They weren't playing any overly complicated game, just one where they wrestled. And Falconkit enjoyed every second of it. The CometClan camp was very quiet right now. Everyone was either sleeping in the hot sun, or eating food that the patrol just brought it. Of course, Creampaw was watching camp as part of her training, but she looked like she wanted to be somewhere else.

Exile lounged about near the two wrestling kits, throwing in a few helpful hints every once in a while. Falconkit liked Exile, he liked him a lot. But here was something under his demeanor that Falconkit didn't trust. Something cruel and unforgiving. And it pushed the kit away.

"Hey Cloudfall!" A voice called. Creampaw was alert for a few seconds, before sitting down calmly again. Falconkit stopped playing with Sootkit, making the gray kit squeal in disappointment. He heard a splash, and went over beside Creampaw to look.

Ivypaw was swimming through the water, coming closer with strong, even strokes. She got up, and shook her body out, playfully catching Falconkit with water. "I met up with a WindClan tom today," she began, making sure Cloudfall was there to hear. "He seemed pretty interested, but I couldn't ask him because a she-cat burst out then, and she looked ready to tell. I chased her down, and I'm pretty sure I got her. RiverClan'll find her body soon enough, and they'll know not to spy."

Cloudfall looked at her interestedly. "You killed her? Did you ask her to join, or threaten her life for her joining?" Ivypaw shook her head sadly, and Cloudfall looked away in disgust.

Ivypaw sighed at her leader's disappointment, but turned to Falconkit. "Do you want to play with me?" she asked, and Falconkit took the opportunity eagerly. She fought well, and Falconkit pinned her. His skills must be improving from Exile! Or… she was just _letting _him win. But it didn't matter.

Leafpool entered the camp then, and requested a speaking with Cloudfall. The leader listened with interest, and Falconkit was playing close enough that he could hear snippets of words. "Killed a cat… severely injured another… turn 'em against each other… ThunderClan"

Falconkit heard the words, and hoped he hadn't heard wrong. If so, Leafpool killed a cat. That made him extremely proud of her. She was finally accepting her life now, and it must make FallenClan proud.

"Creampaw, Graymist, Furzeleaf and Russetfur. We're going on a hunting patrol," Cloudfall announced, jumping off his branch and off into the water. Falconkit turned his attention from them to Ivypaw and Sootkit.

"Come on, Sootkit. Play with me and Ivypaw. It's fun!" Falconkit called. As it was, there was nothing that could be wrong in his life right now.

**Linelinelineline**

The rest of the ShadowClan cats had come back, yowling something about how the kits were representatives of the Dark Forest. They had apparently chosen ShadowClan, then.

Fawnpaw believed none of that. She knew that one of the kits was Sootkit, but that's only because she was held hostage by her. Fawnpaw was the only one to get a good look of the kits, and that fueled her belief that it wasn't Dark Forest kits.

She knew where Sootkit had gone, and it disturbed her. How far would these CometClan cats go? It was already too far if they dare disturb queens and steal their kits.

"Startlingflight?" Fawnpaw asked tentatively, walking up on the ginger tom. "Do you want to go check out the 'haunted' place with me?"

Startlingflight looked at Fawnpaw weird. Three cats fell to unknown reasons. Now they're being treated by Flametail. I'd love to, Fawnpaw, but I'd rather not tempt the Dark Forest."

Fawnpaw wanted to laugh at his stupidity, but she knew better. If she told her Clan that Sootkit was part of the 'Dark Forest Kits,' then they'd go launch an attack and ShadowClan would lose a bunch more members. It was too risky to try.

"Why's everyone talking about haunted kits? Everyone knows that kits don't go to the Dark Forest. They're too young to be evil." Fawnpaw whipped her head back in wonder. That was Toadfoot speaking.

"He's being a nuisance with the other cats. Take him out for me, will you Fawnpaw?" Flametail asked tiredly. "Maybe it'll make him recognize you more."

Fawnpaw nodded eagerly, and ushered her brother out of camp. Startlingflight saw this, and got up. If some cat attacked her, Toadfoot wouldn't be that helpful. He ought to protect her. Startlingflight saw Fawnpaw laughing with her brother, and she seemed so much happier than she had been in a while.

Other than having amnesia, Toadfoot was exactly the same, Fawnpaw thought excitedly. The same snide humor, the same brotherly-love. It was as if StarClan had come down and gave her a miracle. "And then," Toadfoot mewed, "Kinkfur was complaining to Flametail that her side hurt from the 'ghosts,' and he threatened to feed her deathberries. She shut up after that!"

Fawnpaw closed her eyes and laughed, relishing the fact that Toadfoot was almost all here. He tackled her, and Fawnpaw growled playfully, still keeping her eyes closed. It was only when the playing got rough, he bit her ear rather hard, and she thinks he's torn it, when she opens them.

It isn't Toadfoot, but it's Russetfur who resides on top of her. "Hello naïve little ShadowClan cat. Fawnpaw, right?" she laughed, scraping her claws down Fawnpaw's sides. Fawnpaw tried to yowl, but for the second time she felt a tail in her mouth. "Sorry, we need to be a bit stealthy. You won't help the cause by calling out."

Russetfur continued taunting Fawnpaw and scratching her, not letting up until a rustling could be heard in the bushes. Russetfur looked up, and smiled. "See ya later, Fawnpaw!" Russetfur called, dashing off into the pine trees.

Fawnpaw struggled to get up, the pain from her scratches already setting in. "Startlingflight?" she called, looking through the sparse trees for the ginger tom. "Toadfoot?"

No cat answered, and Fawnpaw became nervous. She searched, and finally found a place covered in blood. There was no sight of either tom, but there were signs of them being dragged off.

"No!" Fawnpaw yowled mournfully. CometClan had really taken everything in her life she cared about.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: So, I'm deviating from my rigged five-day-update schedule to celebrate my dad's birthday :D So I gave him a choice on which story he liked best, and I'm updating it! Yay update!**

Being trained by the best, life herself, Exile could slip in and out of places normally trained cats couldn't even dream of. Bored out of his mind in the CometClan camp, Exile had taken to leaving. He hoped to find some other cats to mess with. Maybe he would kill them, as he longed for the feeling of StarClan-believing blood on his claws. If they were younger, he would teach them in life's harsh lessons. Or, if they were willing, they would be taken under FallenClan's caring wings.

So many options, Exile thought as he padded quietly through RiverClan territory. His scent was different than any other Clans, and he smelled more of rogue, with an underlying mountain-y scent to him.

RiverClan, Exile admitted, had to be the one that interested him most. They reminded him of StreamClan, where everyone else in his group were from. He learned so much from them about their Clan, and it carried over to an intense liking of this 'RiverClan.'

They were alike in so many ways. They could both swim, and loved the taste of fish. Even their camp, from what Exile heard anyway, was nearly the same. It shocked the tom that two Clans that were so far apart could be the same.

Exile was nearing up to their camp, and he pressed himself to the ground, sneaking quietly up. He nestled into a small holly bush on the edge of their camp, and watched with baleful eyes. They had what he never had. A Clan. He saw apprentices wrestling with each others, and warriors sharing tongues. The leader gave orders to her deputy, and the deputy in turn called a group of warriors to go on a hunting patrol. They passed by Exile's hiding place, but yet no cat noticed him. When Exile didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be.

Fogpaw waited by the center of the camp, watching a blue-gray tom pin a mottled gray tom with excited eyes. Out of the two young ones he was training now, Fogpaw was most certainly the best. But that also could be because she was older. Both she and Falconkit had greatness in them.

The leader whipped her head towards the bush where Exile was hiding, and he flinched. He focused on not being seen, and held his breath. The way she glared at the bush reminded Exile of Moonpaw. She was always the one that noticed things first in their group.

_"Exile! Exile help me! It's coming!"_ The familiarity of her voice floated back, and he tried in vain to repress the memory. Figuring that he had overstayed his welcome, Exile backed out when the leader looked away.

WindClan would be fun to spy on, he decided. Exile broke into a sprint, hoping not to be noticed. He had things to do, such as spy on the younger cats of the Clans. He needed cats to train, so that when FallenClan came for them, it would be an easier transition.

There was nothing interesting on the sprint there, as everything was hidden from the scorching sun. Exile himself felt it, since his fur was long and black, but he was trained well in the art of ignoring these things.

WindClan was boring, all the cats lounging around the center of camp. Most were sleeping, although there was a warrior that was sharing a rabbit with a few kits. Those that were sleeping had scraggily fur that was in need of cleaning. He figured that it was just that hot, and no cat wanted to do anything.

_"I'm Malachai," the tom said as he came out of the twoleg-place shadows. "You've been kicked out of your Clan? Welcome to my life." He came into the light, and his bright ginger pelt was revealed. His fur was sleek like a StreamClan cats and it was very short._

_ "Are you StreamClan?" Blackpaw asked all standoffish, looking at the cat with unkempt fur with disdain._

_ "Yes, yes I am," Malachai mewed with boredom. "And this is my brother Nirvana." Out of the shadows came a blue-gray tom with yellow eyes. "FallenClan told me to find you, so I took Nirvana with me. I know where we're going, and I'm joining the group."_

_ Kindlepaw looked surprised at the tom's demands and his jaw hung open. "I also know how dangerous stuff is, so come on." Malachai took point and the rest of the cats followed meekly._

Exile shook his head fiercely. These memories he'd been trying to repress were coming out more and more frequently, brought out by the simplest things. What did this mean?

He stumbled away from the WindClan camp, and dashed blindly through the moors. "It's the sun, it's the sun," Exile chanted. He was sure that the second he got out of the heat, he would be fine. It was just his body reacting to overheating, right?

The trees provided little comfort to his mind though. Certain thoughts kept racing around, driving Exile mad. The black tom collapsed in a heap, hoping that the repressed memories would just stop there.

_"Come here little kit. I'm not going to hurt you, just your friends."_

_ "You don't deserve to live. Moonpaw deserves so much better than what she got. And it's all _your _fault."_

_ "There's this cat… but it's not a cat… it's _so_ m-m-much bigger!"_

Exile yowled in anguish, immediately regretting the action. It could draw cats to him. He forced himself up off the ground, and climbed a small hawthorn tree. The sun cast shadows all over the forest, making Exile's job of hiding so much easier.

As he expected, a group of cats burst out of the underbrush, and Exile watched them carefully. They were of average size, and of all different colors. That fact that all the cats had different colored pelts all in the same Clan bothered Exile. In his Clans, they were all of one. Such as SnowClan, who was all white; DarkClan who had all dark colored pelts; and StreamClan, who were grays, gray-blues, and gingers.

"I heard it from over here," a she-cat's voice muttered. A large brown tom, he looked like an apprentice, shrugged.

"I don't know, Rosepetal. Do you think it could be from those CometClan cats?" the tom asked, and his mentor shook his head.

"Nope, no scent of them. Smells like rogue," the tom mewed carefully, drawing air over his scent glands. He shook his head once more, and motioned for the cats to follow him. They did, and padded off. Soon after they left, the birds started to chirp once more. Exile didn't notice them stop at all.

He carefully slid down the tree, grateful for the darkness of the shadow's cover. Speaking of shadows, ShadowClan was next on his list. Exile meandered off in their direction, keeping his ears pricked for any iota of suspicious noise. He was quite entertained during his walk, although the memories kept popping up. He got to see how the other Clans were faring, being under constant watch from CometClan.

ShadowClan wasn't much different than WindClan, most of the cats drowsing about. Exile spotted the she-cat Sootkit had caught before. He stifled a laugh at her expression when she was held hostage by the kit. The black tom also spotted a few warriors licking harsh wounds on their sides, the wounds that were from him.

ShadowClan wouldn't mess with CometClan for a while, as they believed that the CometClan kits were kits from the 'Dark Forest.' The silly StarClan-believers made Exile laugh. They should know better than they do now. But it was the soft StarClanned paws that covered their eyes and kept them in the dark. The life of a FallenClan cat was harsher, but they learned more and better things.

With a sigh, Exile left for the CometClan camp. He hated being cooped up there, but hopefully he could use his time wisely teaching Falconkit.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Ever so sorry on the delay, but fanfiction gave me a problem uploading all of yesterday, and this morning. But here it is! Read, enjoy, and review!**

Falconkit heard yowls of pain and screeches coming from the ShadowClan border, and he looked up from his mother with interest. His siblings had just recently fallen asleep, and Falconkit had been trying to, up until now.

He shimmied away from Whitetail's long tail, and navigated around Sootkit. He then carefully padded until he was away from Whitetail's hearing distance. From there, he heard a splash and a startled cry. Seconds later, Cloudfall approached proudly, carrying half a cat. Creampaw was behind him, snarling unheard words into the cat's face. It surprised Falconkit even more when Russetfur was carrying even _another _cat!

"Who're they?" Sootkit whispered at Falconkit's side. The tom jumped in surprise, and hissed at the gray she-cat. "Sorry…" she mewed sarcastically, before averting her attention to the cats that now lay pathetically at Cloudfall's paws.

Sootkit's face screwed up in concentration, looking at those cats. "I-I think I know them," she whispered, cocking her head to the left. She crouched down on her haunches, and stalked forward, pawstep by pawstep.

"Sootkit?" Cloudfall asked, turning his attention to the advancing kit. The gray she-cat froze in her tracks, and looked up guiltily. But Cloudfall smiled. "Come here, little kits, and observe ShadowClan toms join our Clan."

Falconkit bounded up happily, closely shadowed by Sootkit. She still glared at the two as if she recognized them, but the white tom had no clue how. "Startlingflight and Toadfoot," Cloudfall mewed quietly, making the two toms quake with fear.

They looked up with wide eyes, and Falconkit could hear them pleading for their lives. "Toadfoot… you were set free once, but yet you come back. This is proof that you wisht o become a CometClan cat, correct?"

"I-I don't know…" the tom mewed. "Who _are_ you? Who am I?" Cloudfall looked quizzically at Russetfur, who shrugged.

"You are…" Cloudfall mewed, thinking hard. "Duskstorm, loyal cat to CometClan and FallenClan." The tom that was Duskstorm shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts, and nodded. Duskstorm got shakily to his feet, and stood next to his former, and current, deputy.

"Toadfoot!" Startlingflight screeched. "That's not you! You're a loyal _ShadowClan_ tom! You love your sisters, and your leader. I'm your Clanmate!" Duskstorm looked rather confused at Startlingflight's words, and beside Falconkit Sootkit shifted slightly.

"Do you wish to die, Startlingflight?" Cloudfall asked eerily. "I can easily make that available to you, if you wish it." The ginger tom shook his head angrily, and gritted his teeth. "Good. Russetfur, take To-Duskstorm and Stalrtlingflight to the Comet. We shall have their ceremonies now. Falconkit, Sootkit?" the leader asked, causing the kits to freeze again. Instead, Cloudfall smiled. "Go over to Whitetail and have your nap now, it's been a hard day."

Falconkit slinked back to Whitetail, and had to grab Sootkit by the tail to drag her back. He tried to cuddle back and close his eyes, but for some reason, Falconkit couldn't. He heard a screech of pain, and knew that Startlingflight and Duskstorm, no matter how willing, had pledged their alliance with FallenClan.

CometClan was getting strong, Falconkit knew. And he would someday be the leader of the strongest Clan ever.

**Linelinelineline**

Fawnpaw stumbled into camp, sobbing her heart out. A few cats looked at her weird, but went back to their own duties. It was only Applefur, her sister that she had nearly given up on, who came over.

"What's the matter?" she asked calmly, and Fawnpaw let everything flow out, from finding Sootkit, to losing Toadfoot and Startlingflight. Over the course of the words, the entire Clan surrounded her, and all were shocked.

"Is this true?" Blackstar asked, his voice load and demanding. Fawnpaw nodded quietly, stifling a sob. "We're going to declare war on that 'CometClan' and their false beliefs. Not just a few cats, we're sending them all."

"Blackstar," Redwillow called from near the back, "that's insane! We'd get annahailated!"

The white leader smiled. "I never said that we'd do it alone. We're going to get the other Clans in this. War is the answer to a problem like this." Fawnpaw turned around, and went to collapse in the apprentice's den. She heard Blackstar calling out names to go to the other Clans.

"You're going to have to get up soon," Applefur whispered, snuggling in close to Fawnpaw. Everything may be falling apart, Fawnpaw said mentally, but when things get bad, other things pick up.

**Linelinelineline**

"Skypaw," Firestar called condescendingly down from Highrock, "did you kill Flowerpaw, and set Rainpaw's death in motion?"

Skypaw shook her head furiously, glaring at her fellow Clanmates. "Why would you suspect me," she nearly growled, "when that _CometClan _is going around killing cats? That's just stupid, Firestar!"

The ginger leader was taken aback, and his mouth hung open in shock. "I-I Rainpaw said that you did it!" The Clan muttered in shock, the sound bouncing around the camp.

Eaglepaw was currently tortured. He wanted to say that Skypaw was innocent, but Brambleclaw was staring at him, forcing the tom to wait his turn. "I-Firestaer!" Eaglepaw finally called out, making the leader turn sharply.

"Yes, Eaglepaw?" Firestar mewed quietly, staring at Eaglepaw. "You must have spmething good –" A yowl from deep inside the forest cut Firestar off, and the Clan turned towards it. To the surprise of all, Kinkfur, Ratscar and Dapplepaw burst through the entrance.

A chorus of hisses greeted the patning ShadowClan cats, but they stood to the hate. "Firestar, Blackstar wishes to see you and all of your warriors. We are going to declare war on CometClan. Bring everyone to the ShadowClan camp, so we may defend while the warriors are out."

The hisses stopped, to be replaced with silence. The happily chirping birds were the only things to be heard. "I will go, but I suggest we bring all the kits, queens and elders here. There has been a lot of thorns lately, and we could put it around the camp to better defend them."

Kinkfur tilted her head, and nodded. "Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, Dustpelt and Spiderleg, come. The rest, take care of camp. I'll be back soon. Sandstorm, watch Skypaw. Skypaw? Where is she?"

"I, uh, saw her go into the apprentices den, Firestar!" Eaglepaw called, making the lie up on thespot. "I'll watch her there!" He then skidded quickly into the apprentices den,a nd sighed when there was nobody there.

The brown tom made a show of sitting outside the den after getting out, making sure that nobody could get in. However, he seriously wondered where Skypaw was, and if she was safe.

**Linelinelineline**

Adderpaw was helping Nightcloud over the moors, because she kept complaining how this was a stress for her. Darkkit and Shadekit, however, were quite happy, and were gamboling around.

Darkkit would often tackle Shadekit, and the two brothers would disappear behind a small hill. Then, Nightcloud would shriek and cry for her kits, until they returned to her. It would start all over again, though, and it was a horrbible process that was making Adderpaw's head hurt.

"Shadekit, stop hurting Darkkit, he's so _tiny_ compared to you. Come back here this instant!" Nightcloud yowled, causing another wave of pain to sear through Adderpaw's head.

"Nightcloud," he mewed sharply. "They're fine, and nothing is going to go wrong. The others already went ahead to the ShadowClan camp, and we're laggin a bit. It's fine."

The black she-cat glared at Adderpaw, and picked up her pace for a little bit. The apprentice sighed, because she had finally become quiet after a few minutes of walking on the moors. They were supposed to go to the ShadowClan camp as a group, but Nightcloud had been laggin behind. Onestar then decided that the warriors would go ahead with Ferretfur, Dawnpelt and Pinewhisker, and Adderpaw would take Nightcloud.

"You liar! You lie! Darkkit! Shadekit! Get over here now!" Nightcloud screeched, breaking Adderpaw's eardrums. He looked around wildly for a few seconds, before locating the cause of Nightcloud's screech.

Darkkit and Shadekit were playing harmlessly near a heather bush, but there were two dark forms racing towards them.

Adderpaw pushed past Nightcloud, and shoved the two kits behind him. The cats were racing closer and closer, and Adderpaw fluffed up his fur, hoping it'd made him look like a warrior. Doubts raced through his mind, mostly about his lack of training compared to these warriors. In an act of final bravery, Adderpaw bared his teeth. He would protect Nightcloud and her kits if he died trying.

The two cats raced up, and sighed in relief, making Adderpaw falter in confusion. "There you are!" They called, and Adderpaw recognized Scorchfur and Smokefoot from ShadowClan. "Adderpaw, take them to ThunderClan camp! There's been a change. Stay there, though, when you're done!"

The apprentice sighed. He was prepared to fight, but he wasn't ready. Not at all. "Come on, Nightcloud. Darkkit, Shadekit, no more playing, do you understand?" The two kits nodded, looking in awe at their elder. "We need to pick up the pace, guys, if we're to make it to ThunderClan on time."

He nudged the kits forward, and the two sprinted off together. Adderpaw laughed as Nightcloud took of after them, screeching something about them slowing down. For the thousandth time in his life, Adderpaw was greatful of being born into Windclan, and the speed that came with it.

He followed the kits, and quickly overtook them. The trees were closer together now, and Adderpaw had to swerve while still making sure his cats were behind him. The scent of ShadowClan and ThunderClan was getting stronger, and Adderpaw knew that he was in the right spot.

Suddenly, Adderpaw skidded short, making Darkkit hit into him. "Stop!" he yowled, and he heard Nightcloud skid, and grab Shadekit to prevent him from going any farther.

In front of the tom was a large patch of thorns, and from what Adderpaw could see, it encompassed the entire camp. "Come here!" Adderpaw heard another apprentice call, and he followed the voice around the back. There was a small entereacne, and Adderpaw pusehed everyone ahead of him.

"That's going to be closed up once RiverClan fgets here," Eaglepaw mewed. "Let's see those filthy CometClan cats get through _that_! It took us a while to get it, but now all the warriors are in ShadowClan."

Adderpaw's nose wrinkled in distaste. Eeaglepaw talked _a lot_ and was starting to get on his nerves! "where should Nightcloud and her kits go?"

"The nursery! We made it big enough, and it's surrounded by more throns. When RiverClan gets here, the rest of the thorns are over there," he pointed with his tail, "and you're going to help us put them up."

For the first time, Adderpaw noticed the other cats in the clearing. It was a far stone's throw from normal, but there were about twenty cats in the clearing, from mixed Clans.

"Declaring war on CometClan sure is taxing, right?" Eaglepaw asked, making Adderpaw roll his eyes. The tom dodged any more questions, and walked away from Eaglepaw, waiting for RiverClan to show up.

**Linelinelineline**

"come _on_ Dawnflower," Bluepaw mewed quietly. A whole convoy of RiverClan cats were trucking across their territory, intent on reaching two destinations. The apprentices and a handful of warriors were helping Dawnflower and Icewing to ThunderClan camp, while the rest were going to fight CometClan.

It was slow work, but the RiverClan cats pushed on. They had to be quiet, for they were closest to the CometClan camp, and the cats couldn't give anything away.

The pines of ShadowClan had come into view, and the cats were all excited that their trip was almost over, and they hadn't alerted anyone.

Leopardstar yowled a warning to the rest of her group as a white she-cat came barreling out of the pines. "Skypaw!" Fogpaw's leader called, stopping the apprentice in her tracks. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh," mewed Skypaw, thinking quickly. "Firestar told me to go check on how you're progressing. Since you're doing pretty well, uh, I'm going to check on WindClan now?" The end of her sentence came up in a question, and Fogpaw was immediately suspicious.

"Fine," Leopardstar mewed curtly. "When you get there, tell WindClan we are almost there, understand?" Skypaw nodded, and then continued her run towards the majority of RiverClan territory.

"I don't trust her," Fogpaw whispered to Stormpaw, but her brother just shrugged it off. ShadowClan territory came up fast, and Leopardstar crossed it without thinking twice. Fogpaw had to throw off all the lessons that she learned throughout her apprenticeship.

There the groups split up, with the warriors going off to the left and towards ShadowClan. Fogpaw was left with Icewing, Dawnflower, and the rest of the apprentices and warriors. The pines soon thinned out, and were replaced by thicker and thicker oak trees.

"Hurry up," A voice called from the trees, and Fogpaw sped up Icewing. They were so close to safety, but Fogpaw wanted to go to war.

The ThunderClan camp was infested with thorns, and Fogpaw knew that it was perfect for keeping the cats inside safe.

"Tell whoever is in charge their that Leopardstar wanted me to fight," she whispered urgently to Stonepaw, and took off into the woods before he could say anything back.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm updating because it's near finals and I have no homework. So enjoy!**

Fogpaw raced down the ThunderClan stretch on land, wishing she had the speed of WindClan. There were many trees, but most of the bracken that was there had been dragged off. That must have been where the thorns encircling the camp came from. Coming from a territory that was wide open, Fogpaw couldn't imagine having so many thorns in one territory.

She could sense the change in territories, and knew she was close. There were yowls coming from the space ahead in the pines, and the combined scent of all the Clans. It wreaked havoc on her scent glands, because never before had Fogpaw smelled all the warriors of all the Clans together at one place.

She didn't stop her running until she was up right close to the camp, residing on the loud yowls to keep her presence unknown.

"Here's the plan," she heard Onestar announce. "I need a few warriors to risk their lives to cause a distraction. They will go and draw out most, if not all, of the warriors of CometClan. Then, we're going to attack them in waves, the largest going in after the distraction. Do we have any volunteers?"

A few cats muttered amongst the crowd, and only one cat cried out "I will!"

Fogpaw edged closer, her eyes adjusting to the brightness of the clearing as opposed to the darkness of the pines. She saw Harespring from WindClan step up proudly in front of the leaders. His eyes blazed with anger, mostly because no other cat volunteered with him.

"I-I'll do it, Firestar," Rosepetal whispered from the crowd. She stepped forward, and stood next to Harespring, who gave her a nod of acceptance.

With the first two cats willing to give up their life, a few more shouted that they would, and moved forward. Fogpaw saw Bumblestripe and Spiderleg from ThunderClan, Olivenose and Smokefoot from ShadowClan, Boulderheart from WindClan, and Rippletail, Minnowtail, and Rushfoot from her own Clan.

Her pelt rising in excitement, Fogpaw watched as the cats turned to the leaders for instructions. She stepped forward once more, and a fragile twig snapped under her paw. Freezing up, Fogpaw hoped that nobody would notice her. She crouched to the ground, her paws being pricked with pine needles.

A few cats turned around, but their eyes swept above Fogpaw, not bothering to look down. A few seconds passed before the cats let their guard down, and Fogpaw slowly stood up. She mentally kicked herself for missing the instructions because she failed to notice the twig!

"Now, here's what I think," the ThunderClan leader spoke up. A few moans could be heard from the crowd, who didn't want to hear from the kittypet leader. "I think the deputies should remain at the ThunderClan camp amongst the elders, queens, kits, and apprentices so that if any of us die there will be replacements. A few of the younger warriors, too, to protect them."

Growls, snarls and hisses met his words. However, Firestar looked unfazed as he calmly glanced among them. He must've anticipated this reaction.

"We need as many warriors as possible to defeat CometClan, Firestar!" Onestar yowled, his hackles beginning to rise. "We can't just take away our deputies! They're the best fighters."

Leopardstar stood up though, addressing the crowd. "No, I agree with this statement! If we were to fall, then there would be cats to take our place. If there weren't any, then there would be a power vacuum. We would never be able to defeat CometClan if we are fighting amongst ourselves."

From the words of a more respected leader, the cats quieted, although a few of them still grumbled. "Let's move then, ok?" Blackstar said. "We all know our jobs; it is now the opportune moment to attack."

He looked up towards the sky, which had grown dark with clouds. The sun was beginning to be covered up by them, and they were piling up on the horizon. It was to storm soon, and the leaders hoped that it would provide cover for their attack.

Fogpaw waited until the cats had left, slinking about. A few warriors that were chosen and the deputies skulked back to ThunderClan's camp. She waited until she could follow without any other cat noticing her, and slunk off after them.

**Linelinelinelinelineline**

Fawnpaw trudged through the ThunderClan forest, not really willing to go to the ThunderClan camp. She had been gamboling around the forest behind everyone, biding her time.

She knew that no CometClan cat would attack her here. They were all snug in their camp, unaware that the four Clans were united against them.

The ThunderClan scent was strong, although it was masked by other scents of the rest of the Clans. She heard low voices whispering, so she must be close. Her unwillingness to join the ThunderClan cats drove her further into the forest, far away from the voices.

It got darker as she went, the trees growing closer together and the clouds both being a factor. However, Fawnpaw was not fazed. Being ShadowClan, she was used to the darkness. She actually preferred it.

With a snap of bracken, Fawnpaw fell through the forest, and onto a stream bank. She grunted in disgust as her paw fell into the water. It was a lot brighter, and she could see many paw prints leading up a small incline.

"What's this?" she asked herself, willing to walk further. She didn't want to go see all the sympathetic cats asking about her brother. Toadfoot was taken again, along with her love, Startlingflight.

The clouds seemed to part, even though it was nearly impossible. They were actually closer together than ever, a dark purple color painting their bottom.

Fawnpaw's paws fell into the pressed prints, and she knew without being told that this was the Moonpool. It was just the feeling that the slope gave off, nothing that she had ever been told compared it to this.

The slope angled downwards, and she saw the Moonpool in all of its glory. It rippled slightly, as if there were some fish underneath it, nibbling at the air bubbles on the surface. She felt some anticipation as she approached it, as if she wasn't welcome. However, a greater feeling of happiness swelled in her chest, and she dipped her nose in the water like Flametail told her he'd done many times.

A warm rushing feeling of hope and despair mingled into one assaulted her body. Fawnpaw tried to fight it off, but it took over. In a few seconds though, it had dulled to a sunny-day-warm, and Fawnpaw opened her eyes.

In front of her, on a rolling hill of WindClan, was the largest group of cats that she had ever seen. They were all shapes and colors, each different, but alike in many ways.

"Fawnpaw, we have been calling you. We have important news to share with you, to help your survival in these difficult times," the cats said in unison. It was a low rumble, but easily heard, as the night was quiet.

"Me? Why me?" Fawnpaw asked, appalled that she was chosen. There were so many more cats that deserved this. She was debating killing herself before, she didn't need this on her conscience, too.

"You know struggle, dear," a voice said, apart from everyone else. Fawnpaw shuddered at the voice, bringing back so many memories. She whispered an unintelligible word, vaguely resembling the word 'mother.'

"You know pain. Both your father and I died. Toadfoot is now a part of the other Clan, named Duskstorm. And your sister has no care for you. You are all alone, and the best vessel for this information."

"I-I-I miss you, mother!" Fawnpaw sobbed, breaking into a run. However, she noticed that no matter how fast she ran, she got no closer to the shining cats.

Raggedstar stepped forward. The only way she knew him was because of the many stories told of him and his mate. "Now, listen. What you are about to here is the history of this FallenClan, for we know much about them."

This made Fawnpaw frustrated. If StarClan knew so much, why didn't they tell them before, and save so much needless bloodshed?

"We were once many Clans. Five, actually. The four you know today and SkyClan. We, as StarClan, were different too," Bluestar said. "There was StarClan, yes, and the Dark Forest. But there was also another level for deceased warriors to go to. It had no name, for no cat really knew about it. It was a place where cats went after they something small wrong. They weren't pure enough to get into StarClan, yet nothing that caused a trip to the Dark Forest."

Fawnpaw sat down, confused by the explanation. If no cat knew about the third tier of StarClan, then why did it matter?

"Because a cat, Sharpwing, told his mate about it," Raggedstar said, making Fawnpaw realize she had spoken that out loud. "He felt that it was unfair that he was sent there because he stole a kit, even though it was his leader's command. Petalpool started a group that worshiped this tier over the rest, although they were still loyal to us."

Another cat, a short brown tom with darker paws stepped forward. He had an angry expression on his face, and his gruff voice was loud. "Then Owlfang, the traitor, took all those cats and said that we were unfair. They broke away, forming three other Clans and moving far away. We noticed that our connection with the middle-ground was fainting, but not before recognizing that they had grown powerful. A leader's power only comes from their believers, and they had a bunch."

Bluestar glared at the tom. "Enough, Shortfoot, you're scaring her!" The legendary leader then turned to Fawnpaw. "They named their version of StarClan FallenClan, because those cats had fallen from our grace, without really doing much. They also fell from our grace when they disowned the warrior code, and made their own rules. They made life harsher for themselves. A kit was born and named after the Clan. They use the excuse that she was the first cat that died, so they named it after her."

"They wanted to break off all connection to us," her mother said. "That is why they are so dangerous."

"Yes," Raggedstar agreed. "They will do anything to stay apart from us, even kill all of you. Plus, they have very powerful allies farther away. There is no hope if SnowClan, DarkClan, and StreamClan come into the fight."

Fawnpaw was silent. So much had been presented to her, and she could barely fathom it all. "I know it's a lot, dear," her mother said, breaking the short distance and rubbing against her kit. "But you must survive. For us, for the kits, for your family. Please."

Fawnpaw tried to cry out, but it was in vain. The scene faded from her eyes, and she awoke in front of the Moonpool. A light drizzle had broken out, but the sky was nearly black. The rain would soon escalate, and drench everything it could.

She got up, stretching her stiff limbs as she started trotting towards ThunderClan camp. She was ready to face them now.

**Linelinelinelinelineline**

Eaglepaw was surprised at the amount of warriors coming into the camp. He was certain that Blackstar sent the message that only apprentices, elders, queens and their kits would remain behind.

A dark brown tom that Eaglepaw knew well entered camp, and Eaglepaw rushed to meet him. "Brambleclaw! What are you doing here?"

The deputy looked at the cats surrounding him before answering. "It was Firestar's idea. He wanted a few warriors here to protect those weaker."

Eaglepaw nodded, and left Brambleclaw alone as he directed the cats to fix the thorns. He found himself thinking of Skypaw, alone in the forest. What if a patrol of CometClan cats had found her and mutilated her body?

The young tom shuddered, unable to shake the picture from his mind. He felt a pang of longing from the she-cat, and realized that he had a crush on him. He cared extremely for Skypaw, and wanted to protect her from anything harmful.

If he wanted to do that, then why couldn't he do it now? He was stuck here, no, Eaglepaw trapped himself here. He listened to directions so well, he didn't break them to save the cat he loved from something unjust.

Eaglepaw crawled into the apprentice's den, ashamed of what he just realized. He ignored Stormpaw, who had stumbled in there a few minutes ago, and crawled into his nest. He was stuck here when the cat he loved was being threatened by the very things that took his mother. Eaglepaw sighed, and hoped his dreams were better.

**Linelinelinelinelineline**

Adderpaw sat in the exact center of the ThunderClan camp, watching diligently. His ears were alert, and scents constantly drifted over his scent glands. The rain started to come down more steadily, but that didn't deter him. The thought of protecting all the Clans was a better one than being together with Ivypaw.

If he saved the Clans, then he would be regarded as a hero, with stories told to all the kits. But if he went to CometClan, he would be seen as a traitor, and a nobody to FallenClan. Plus, he couldn't give us his belief, now could he?

The thorns that encircled the camp here thick and he would enjoy watching cats get through there. Just thinking of fighting his way through there was enough to make his pelt prickle with pain.

"You know," a smaller apprentice from ShadowClan whispered in his ear, "you don't have to watch. We have enough apprentices here, and they won't be attacking us. Come sleep with me." Adderpaw turned to see Dapplepaw, and turned right back around.

"I would rather be on guard and ready then surprised if an attack does come," Adderpaw retorted acidly, his ears flattening against his head.

Dapplepaw scoffed, and marched away to where the giggling Spottedpaw stood. Although he was protecting the Clans, Ivypaw would be his one and only. The rest would just seem as annoying as kits begging for the rabbit he brought in.

Adderpaw's eyes refocused on the thorn tunnel that was now fully closed in with thorns. He tuned out the quiet murmurs of the cats, and centered on the many noises of the forest.

It disarmed him to have so many animals in one place, and he was trying to get used to it, so he would notice when something was wrong. With all this prey, Adderpaw was surprised that ThunderClan wasn't as fat as RiverClan!

He continued his diligent watch, thinking about what Ivypaw could be doing right now, and hoping she'd be safe from the attack.

**Linelinelinelinelineline**

Falconkit heard the rain starting to pick up against the nursery, and smiled. He was all curled up and warm with his mother and siblings. There was nothing that could go wrong right now.

A large splash interrupted his thoughts, and Falconkit kicked himself for jinxing his Clan. Cloudfall was alert, too, and yowled to his Clanmates.

Whitetail awoke with a jump, and rushed outside. She threatened her kits quietly to stay inside, saying that she must fight.

Marshkit took it to himself to guard the entrance, glaring at the other kits in the nursery. Falconkit stood up, and tried shoving past his older, bigger brother. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Out. You can't stop me. You didn't stop me from going to ShadowClan, you can't stop me now, and you know it. Guard the rest of them, I'll be fine," Falconkit mewed conversationally to his brother. When Marshkit cocked his head in confusion, Falconkit slipped out and faced the situation in front of him.

The warriors stood in a circle around the entrance, looking into the dark waters in front of them. "What was that?" "I think I see a cat!" Were some of the whispers Falconkit heard. He crept closer, freezing when he saw Exile's curious eyes. Unlike the reaction Falconkit was expecting, Exile pointed with his tail towards Cloudfall's tree.

As Falconkit scrambled up the bark, he noticed that the cats were looking at nothing. Cloudfall commanded Birchfall, Mallownose, and Robinwing to explore it. The three cats jumped into the stream and emerged out the other side.

There, Falconkit saw something that was extremely bad. A large group of cats stalked towards the CometClan cats, and pounced on them. A pained gargle was all that Mallownose gave out, before all three cats were slain.

Falconkit opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. If Cloudfall knew that he was up here, he would be punished badly.

He saw a few cats, most likely RiverClan, slither around to the other side of the island water, where it was much deeper. They were planning an all out attack, and were using all sides.

"They're dead!" screeched Tawnypelt, her pelt bristling and her claws extending. She truly looked fierce prepared for battle. "We will attack them, then? It looks like they brought all of the warriors. They are planning to destroy us!"

Cloudfall thought, turning to Russetfur. "We will attack them as they come. We will send a patrol out to make them think we are falling for their stupid plan. They will know our power."

Falconkit listened in on this plan with fear. There was going to be a full out war between the two sides, each ready to rip their enemy apart.

A streak of lightning broke apart the sky, illuminating everything. Falconkit quaked in fear, letting his fear-scent go, when the lightning clarified everything. Only he could see, but there was nearly half a hundred cats waiting to fight and kill CometClan.

**A/N: Ah, war. I'm in a very warlike mood after the game we played in History. This'll be fun to write! **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: As always (although it has been a while), read, enjoy and review! **

Falconkit squeaked in fear, and pressed his fur against his mother's pelt. She tried soothing him, but yowls and cries of anger quickly overwhelmed her quiet voice.

A rustling near the entrance to the nursery startled the kits and Whitetail. The small she-cat fluffed to nearly twice her size and began to growl in warning. Russetfur popped her head in quickly, and talked to Whitetail.

Falconkit strained to hear the words that the deputy was meowing, but had no luck. The only words that graced his ears were '-come back and fight.'

Whitetail nodded, and gathered all her kits by her feet. "We're going on a little trip," she mewed quietly. With a grunt, Whitetail pushed open the back of the nursery and pushed all the kits through it. A wet smell invaded Falconkit's nose, and he cringed away from it. It was such a deep contrast to the warm milky scents, and fear was intertwined within it.

Ivypaw slunk through the darkness, and met up with the queen. "Russetfur wants you back now. They're preparing to fight us. I'll take your kits."

The queen's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but Ivypaw draped her tail over Marshkit's shoulders. "I know what I'm to do, Whitetail," Ivypaw whispered. "Your kits, every single one, will make it out unharmed. I would die before I let the future of CometClan die."

"Yes, Ivypaw," the she-cat whispered. She gave one last baleful look towards her kits before she whisked off. Falconkit could hear the yowls growing bigger, and he raised his hackles in fear.

"Come on, kits. We're going somewhere safe now." Ivypaw started nudging the kits forward, and they broke into a jittery jog. "We need to go a bit faster, kits," the apprentice mewed, easily keeping up with the pace.

Falconkit turned to Sootkit, who shrugged her shoulders. "Where are we going?" he squeaked to Ivypaw. The apprentice looked forward at him, seemingly thinking.

"Somewhere safe," she assured. However, Falconkit didn't like how little information that she was giving out. "I'm sorry," she apologized, as if reading his thoughts, "but I can't give out anything so close to hostiles."

The scenery changed around them, and soon the kits were against the lip of the island. "Ivypaw!" Frostkit whined, stamping his paw against the muddy ground. "It's a dead end! I can't swim!"

Ivypaw pushed passed the kit, and scrambled down the embankment. She waited for the kits to follow her, and stood on the pebbly shore. "You first, Marshkit," Ivypaw mewed.

Falconkit's brother looked stupidly at the apprentice, unsure of what she was telling him to do. "You can't swim," she explained, "but _I_ can. You're going to hold on _tightly_ to my back, and I'm going to ferry you across, ok?"

Marshkit froze on the bank and refused to move. "_I'll _go first, because I'm not a scaredy-cat," Sootkit mewed, and climbed onto Ivypaw's back.

The apprentice grunted slowly at her weight, but soon began to step into the water. Her feet moved forward with strong strokes, but Falconkit could still see her struggling a little. Sootkit nearly fell a few times, but both made it to the other side relatively quickly.

There, Ivypaw left Sootkit on the RiverClan bank and swam back for the others. It continued on like this for a while, until only Marshkit and Falconkit were left. Each time it seemed that Ivypaw was losing energy, and could barely make it.

"Come _on,_ Marshkit!" she snarled. Still, the tom refused to move. "You'll be left here alone," Ivypaw threatened, making the smaller kit move.

He scrambled onto her back, and dug his teeth into Ivypaw's scruff. Ivypaw yelped a little at the tiny daggers the kit thrust into her fur, but gritted her own teeth and moved to the water.

Marshkit squeaked in fear as the water lapped around his feet, but Ivypaw didn't let him fall. Falconkit was all alone on the bank, and he shivered. The yowls could be heard extremely close, and his heart started racing. What would the other cats do to him if they found him?

Fear finally took over Falconkit, and he charged forward into the water. It was a lot colder than he expected, and a lot deeper too. He mimicked Ivypaw, reaching his paws out to their full extent. The coldness seeped into his pelt, making it feel as if ice had replaced his bones.

Ivypaw was ahead, making steady progress. How happy would she be if she knew that she didn't have to come back and get him? They'd make a quicker getaway, and not be captured by the other Clans.

A strong current tugged at Falconkit's tiny paws, but he continued on. Ivypaw was farther ahead now than she was before, and Falconkit struggled to go faster. However, the current was vicious and refused to let go.

A glimmer of fear, stronger than the one he felt on the bank, wormed itself into Falconkit's heart. What had he done? He had a chance of surviving with the other cats if they had found him. Ivypaw would rather die than let him be captured.

Another current tugged, and Falconkit felt himself go underneath the swirling waters. For a second he panicked and thrashed about. His head breached the surface for a second, and Falconkit coughed up water.

That was too close. He glanced towards the bank, and found that it was too far away. Ivypaw was nowhere in sight, and Falconkit mewled pitifully.

He was pulled underwater again, and Falconkit struggled against the pressing water. He saw bubbles rising forcefully out of his nose, and he began to lose consciousness. Before he blacked out though, an image of a fiery bird passed in front of his eyes.

**Linelinelineline**

Fawnpaw sprinted back to ThunderClan's camp, unsure of where she was going. She was only vaguely aware of her direction because of the scents of the cats.

"Who's there?" A hostile voice cried as she neared the camp. Fawnpaw jumped, but she knew she was in good hands now.

"Fawnpaw!" she panted, slightly out of breath. "I'm from ShadowClan!" The cat that emerged was a dark brown tabby tom, and Fawnpaw instantly recognized him as Brambleclaw.

He regarded her coldly, but Kinkfur jumped down from a tree nearby and welcomed her. "Where have you been?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

"The Moonpool," Fawnpaw replied breathlessly. "I have something to tell you!"

Brambleclaw looked surprised, but Kinkfur sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws. "Tell us, young one. You act like it's important, and if it's from the Moonpool, it must be."

Fawnpaw opened her mouth, but a yowl intercepted her words. Both deputies whipped their head around to look for the noise. Ashfoot poked her head out of another tree, and called down to the trio of cats.

"The fighting's begun," she reported to the others. "The lightning is helpful, and I think we're winning. Get that apprentice back into camp and get back into your trees just in case CometClan decides to counterattack."

Kinkfur nodded, and shoved Fawnpaw towards the camp. "Have fun getting inside," she chuckled. "It's sealed up tight. But you're smart. Just get inside before they decide to come here."

Fawnpaw nodded, dumbfounded. How was she to get inside the camp if no one told her? She slunk off as the deputies scrambled back up the trees.

She circled the camp once, and congratulated the Clan cats for creating such an impenetrable defense. A whisper made Fawnpaw jump into the air, and she hissed at a pair of yellow eyes.

"Dig a hole and shimmy under these thorns. I pulled some back the first time I saw you circle," the voice whispered. Fawnpaw thanked the voice, and began digging a hole. The eyes disappeared, and Fawnpaw grunted with effort.

Her story would have to wait, she realized. The hole was almost fully done, and Fawnpaw edged underneath. The bracken pulled at her fur and drew blood. Fawnpaw hissed in pain, but continued on.

When the warriors returned victorious, she would tell them the story that she had learned from the Moonpool. Then, maybe they'd feel pity for the fallen cats, who just wanted to be free.

**Linelinelineline**

Eaglepaw watched as Fawnpaw scurried underneath the thorn barriers. He felt a little queasy, because he was certain that the defense wouldn't be the same. However, he couldn't just_ leave_ her out there, right?

Eaglepaw rushed back in after she popped out in the ThunderClan camp. She looked at him with happiness in her eyes, and rubbed under his chin when he got close enough. "Thank you," she whispered, a purr building in his chest.

Eaglepaw stuttered, and then cleared his throat importantly. "Help me fix the barrier, so if we are attacked then we're safe."

The she-cat nodded, and signs of affection gone. He wondered whether it was just something he imagined, or real? He wasn't sure, but he liked Skypaw. Confusion swirled around Eaglepaw's mind, and he didn't know what to do.

The two apprentices filled in the hole that Fawnpaw had wiggled through. Eaglepaw packed it down tightly, making sure that he couldn't see where the breach was. Then, they moved the thorns and brambles together, creating a crisscrossing pattern.

With a sigh, Eaglepaw sat back and examined the defenses. It looked good, and a cat couldn't tell that it had once been breached. Still, there was a nagging thought in Eaglepaw's mind that told him he had been wrong. What if they were attacked and this point was exploited? He would never live it down, _if_ he survived.

Fawnpaw had moved off, and was talking in hushed tones to Littlecloud. He heard clipped parts of her conversation, which mainly involved StarClan. Littlecloud motioned for the other medicine cats to come over, and they heard Fawnpaw's tale.

Smokewhisker cried out, but from fear or excitement Eaglepaw couldn't tell. Ignoring the conversation, he went and sat in the center of camp, his senses pricked for any signs of incoming cats.

**Linelinelineline**

Fogpaw stood in awe as she watched the cats converge on each other. Shrieks and yowls erupted from both sides, and she couldn't tell which side was winning. Lightning streaked across the sky, and the RiverClan apprentice was grateful that it wasn't raining yet.

If she had to use one word to describe the fight, it would be confusion. Cats ran everywhere, and the proposed ranks of StarClan fighters had fallen into nothingness.

A few bodies lay still in the gulch, their blood slowly dyeing the water red. She couldn't tell which cats they were, but she had a bad feeling one of them was Troutfern.

A cat dashed passed her, closely followed by another. The CometClan snarled when he saw her, and Fogpaw began to circle him. She wasn't so sure about her fighting abilities against this cat, and began panicking.

There should have been enough StarClan warriors to have a two to one advantage over the CometClan cats. So why was she fighting alone?

He sprang at her, his ginger pelt glinting in the lightning. He parried a few of her blows, and landed a sharp one on the inside of her left leg. Fogpaw stumbled down, her leg bright with pain. The tom snorted above her, and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Not much fight the Clans have, huh?" his voice was dripping with cockiness, and Fogpaw snarled. With a swift kick, she unsettled the tom and stood over him.

His face, for the first time, showed fear. She raked her claws down his cheek, drawing blood from four deep wounds. The CometClan cat yowled in pain, and began struggling underneath her.

Fogpaw brought her claws down again and again, and soon the tom's face was a bloody mess. With a strangled cry he pushed up on her body with his back legs. The RiverClan apprentice flew off the tom and landed in a heap behind a group of fighting cats.

The tom struggled to his feet, and lumbered towards her. Fogpaw bristled her fur, but she could see the tom was weak. Blood poured into his eyes, and he seemed reluctant to attack her again. With a raised lip, the tom hissed at Fogpaw and disappeared in the night.

Joyful at her victory, Fogpaw leapt into the crowd of cats in front of her. They were winning, Fogpaw knew. How could they be losing with so many cats on their side and skilled fighters?

A yowl pierced her thoughts, pausing her from attacking ShadowClan's old deputy. Cloudfall stood alone, and fell any cats that came to him. He was yowling viciously, and a ring of bodies surrounded him.

With a vague surprise, Fogpaw realized that the air around Cloudfall was considerably darker than the space around every other cat. Was FallenClan helping him? She hoped not, although the facts proved differently.

"Fogpaw?" a voice croaked. The RiverClan apprentice broke free from the fighting to find the source. Mossytail lay on her side, blood gushing from a large leg wound. "Why are you here?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"To help my Clan," Fogpaw retorted defiantly. Mossytail cringed at the harsh tone, and the apprentice immediately regretted talking to her elder like that.

"Leave," the she-cat whispered. Fogpaw opened her mouth to protest, but Mossytail silenced her with a look. "Gather a few of the younger warriors and leave. We're losing this battle a lot." The RiverClan cat paused, and drew in a trembling breath. "Save the kits. You know when our warriors die out," she coughed, blood bubbling from her throat, "they'll attack the camp. Save them."

Fogpaw looked at Mossytail with horror. The cat whispered 'leave' forcefully once more, and Fogpaw turned away. She didn't want to see the friendly Clan cat die.

Confusion surrounded her. The yowls of Cloudfall still penetrated the air, and the smell of fear was rank. Fogpaw looked around, and couldn't discern much from the fighting cats. She spotted a cat she knew, and raced over to him.

Pebblefoot laughed heartily as he saw Fogpaw approaching. "An apprentice, ah? Fogpaw, you should know better than this!" he chided, but never stopped fighting with Grassclaw.

However, the RiverClan cat was beginning to tire. Together, they barely forced Pebblefoot to retreat. "What are you doing –"

"No matter. We need to retreat. Gather a few warriors and leave. We need to save the kits." Grassclaw's expression went from annoyed to worried. He nodded and quickly moved off, all thought of exhaustion forgotten.

Fogpaw raced around, gathering Whitewing as she went. They raced through ShadowClan territory, soon joined by Grassclaw, Rowanclaw and Sunstrike.

"We're losing," Sunstrike mewed flatly as they ran. "Badly." Fogpaw nodded at his comment, but focused on nothing but running. The time seemed to be going so slowly, and she wished that the pines turned to oaks.

When they hit ThunderClan territory, cats fell out from the trees. Fogpaw yowled and engaged in brief fighting with them before realizing they were on the same team.

"What's going on?" Mistyfoot asked, her eyes appraising the warriors in front of her. They all shuffled their feet and tried to regain the breath before speaking.

Rowanclaw was the one who finally spoke. "We're losing. We need to move everyone so that we don't get killed. Quickly."

The deputies looked with on with horror. "What…? What about the leaders?"

Whitewing snarled angrily. "Leopardstar is already fully dead, and I saw Firestar lose a life. There's no _time_ for this! We need to leave, before we become the next victims!"

Brambleclaw dipped his head. "So be it. Let's go." The cats followed the tom towards the camp, their tensions running high. Everyone's fur was raised, and the only thing that kept them from collapsing in exhaustion was the thought that they needed to keep their Clan alive.

**Linelinelineline**

It startled Adderpaw when his deputy poked her head in through a gap of the brambles. She spoke in a frightened voice, demanding they be let inside.

Fogpaw complied, gaining other apprentices to help rip apart the barriers. "We need to leave!" Brambleclaw yowled as he burst through the small opening. Blood trickled from some small wounds the thorns made, but he paid no heed to them.

Protests went up around camp, but most of them were half-hearted. Something was wrong, and nobody wanted to argue.

"Get the kits, get the elders," Ashfoot ordered the apprentices, who quickly complied. Nobody asked questions, and they completed the tasks in fervor. With the kits gathered and the queens sitting sleepily, Fogpaw described the situation.

Adderpaw felt a chill rush up his spine at her words. They were… losing? Impossible! "Where are we to go?" an apprentice in the back screeched. Brambleclaw answered quietly, but panic overran them all.

"Just go," Sunstrike hissed. "Don't ask questions and go! We're probably going far passed ThunderClan's borders so we can recoup and strive, and not all die!"

Every single cat in the camp quieted. It was a matter of life and death, then. Kits were harshly grabbed up in mouths, and protested weakly. The cats filed out through the breach in the barrier, following Brambleclaw as he led them away from the destruction.

"What are you doing?" Mistyfoot asked, making Adderpaw turn around. She faced the elders, all who were staring at her defiantly.

"We're not going," Whitewater mewed simply. The others agreed behind her. " We've all talked, and it's not like we could do much in the new Clans anyway."

Yowls of protest came from all sides. Nobody wanted the elders to die. "Don't argue with us," Whitewater warned. "We'll stay here. The CometClan cats will come here, and break through the barrier. They'll just find us, and it'd give you a lot more time. It's for the best."

Brambleclaw turned around to argue, but Adderpaw saw that he knew Whitewater was right. "Come on," he muttered. The cats followed after him with mixed emotions.

As Adderpaw left, he looked back at the elders. With determination, they built the barrier back up to its former glory. He wished that, in his life, he had as much bravery and courage as they. But, as they moved onto the unknown, Adderpaw felt fear.

However, as little as the thought was, he couldn't help but think of Ivypaw. He wondered how she fared, and hoped with all of StarClan she hadn't succumbed to death.

**A/N: Finally back to this fic! I hoped you enjoyed it, and it would make me endlessly happy if you could review! Thank you, ever so much!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: New chapter, sorry for the wait! I hope you enjoy it though, even though I killed off a large amount of cats… Read, Enjoy and review!**

"Be careful with him," Nightcloud mewed, pressing close to Eaglepaw's side. The apprentice nodded, taking extra care not to jostle young Shadekit.

The kit, however, was enjoying the ride. He squealed in pleasure and waved brightly to the other kits. "It's ok, Eaglepaw," he crowed. "This is fun! I don't usually like being carried, but we're going _fast_."

Eaglepaw tried to laugh through the bundle of fur in his mouth, but couldn't. Overall, he was extremely scared. There was a nagging sensation in his heart that Eaglepaw couldn't dispel. Partially because they had sent out most of their warriors and were left with nothing.

The elders. That was another though that stuck in his heart. He knew that they wouldn't have survived. CometClan was interested in a large amount of cats, but cats that could fight. The elders were useless, and they could only tell stories. They weren't helpful in hunting or fighting.

He wished, somewhat, that he was there with them. The Clans had made valuable progress in fleeing the CometClan cats, but he wanted to see how long it took the 'superior warriors' to break through their barrier.

His paws were sore, and Eaglepaw wished they could stop soon. However, he knew they couldn't. The safety of all the cats present were more important than his personal aches.

The horizon was beginning to show signs of the coming dawn. Eaglepaw's eyes adjusted quickly to the slowly brightening light, and he could see how the trees changed from the lake. The pines and the deciduous trees were intermixed, and the underbrush was scarce. It felt weird to be walking through this territory, but Eaglepaw pretended it was like a forbidden journey into the other Clan's territory.

He wished that he had his mother with him. Daisy would be proud to see his son as a caring, brave apprentice. He was just a tiny kit when she left. He wondered vaguely what she was doing. Surely she couldn't have participated in the fight, right? She didn't know how to.

Eaglepaw bumped into a cat in front of him, making Shadekit squeak as he was squished. An unfamiliar she-cat turned around and hissed at him, but her eyes were more fearful than angry.

The group of cats was paused at an extremely large Thunderpath, which seemed to go on for a while. Eaglepaw just noticed that there was gravel under his paws, and moved them around uncomfortably.

"I don't see an end," Brambleclaw muttered, looking frantically left and right. He tentatively placed a paw on the rough surface, and then quickly withdrew it. "There aren't any monsters, either. Are they sleeping?"

Mistyfoot shrugged. "I think so," she mewed, placing a paw on the Thunderpath. "It seems safe… for now. Let's go!"

She quickly jumped onto the dangerous path, and sprinted across it. Warily, other cats followed her. Eaglepaw saw that RiverClan cats were more willing to follow, but that made a lot of sense.

Eaglepaw took a deep breath, calming his nerves. Thunderpaths never really suited him, and he was always afraid of the monsters that patrolled them. "Go, Eaglepaw, go!" Shadekit trumpeted, making Eaglepaw laugh and gave him the courage he needed.

The rocky gravel disappeared and was replaced by a much harder rock as he ran fretfully. Eaglepaw's mind was blank, however, as he thought of his mother. Her soft fur and sweet scent filled his mind as he thought of her smooth words and caring disposition.

"Don't crash, you bumbling mousebrain," a voice hissed, bringing Eaglepaw back to the scary present. The group was stuck by a big tan barrier, rising a few feet above the ground.

"What is it?" Mistyfoot asked. She sniffed it daintily, but recoiled as if the scent hit her. "It definitely smells of the Thunderpath," she noted, stepping back from it.

"It seems to be blocking one side of the Thunderpath from the other," Ashfoot mewed. "I think we have to go over."

Whispers ran rampant through the small group. "Over? What do you mean by over?" Cats nodded and yowled their agreement, creating quite a lot of ruckus.

"Like this," Ashfoot mewed simply. She nimbly jumped over the barrier, landing precariously on the top before dropping over the other side. Whispers were heard again, quelled only when Ashfoot called over that she was fine.

"We need to go quickly," Brambleclaw ordered, nudging a cat by his side. "It's almost the time where monsters wake up, and I will _not_ lose a cat to one of them."

One by one, the cats began to jump over the tan barrier. Eaglepaw moved forward, his heart beginning to race again. Like Mistyfoot said, it did smell of the Thunderpath. It was harsh and acrid, with a faint tinge of smoke.

He took a deep breath and vaulted over the wall. Eaglepaw's back paws graced the top, barely touching as he fell down the other side. Unsurprisingly, he was greeted by more Thunderpath. With Shadekit squeaking happily in his mouth, Eaglepaw sprinted the rest of the Thunderpath.

He collapsed on the other side, grateful that grass was under his feet. Most of the group was there too, many of them on their feet as he was. "Monster!" A cat screeched, drawing everyone's eyes to the Thunderpath.

The vibrations shook Eaglepaw to his very core and he bit down harder on Shadekit protectively. Brambleclaw was over the barrier, staring wide-eyed at the approaching monster. Kinkfur was balanced on the top, yowling fiercely to Brambleclaw.

The ThunderClan deputy pressed himself to the barrier, and Eaglepaw saw him pleading to StarClan. The monster grew closer, and Brambleclaw crouched down and hissed at the approaching figure.

It came and quickly engulfed Brambleclaw's figure. Eaglepaw felt his breath caught in his throat when the monster passed and he saw neither hide nor hair of his deputy. Kinkfur had almost fallen, her claws dug deep into the rocky barrier.

Mistyfoot let out a saddening yowl, but a few cheers sprung up. Brambleclaw was a few yards away, his fur ruffled but unscathed. The two deputies looked for more monsters before rushing over to join the others.

"The wind," he panted. "It brought up such a wind I thought it was going to pull me under." He looked around at the group of cats, his eyes counting. "Is everyone here?"

Nightcloud nodded. "Yes. We all made it over the Thunderpath safely, without any injuries. We're safe to go on."

"Wait," Brambleclaw mewed. "Where are Adderpaw and Fawnpaw?"

**Linelinelineline **

Adderpaw laughed with the ease that he escaped. "We're free now, right Fawnpaw?" She looked dolefully at him, her eyes clouded with misery.

His conscience won over, Adderpaw knew that it was best to go to CometClan and Ivypaw. He wanted to escape without anyone realizing, and the barrier in the middle of the Thunderpath was the best distraction. While all the cats were fretting over that, he slipped away effortlessly.

Fawnpaw had caught him at the last second and had followed him back a little. She had confronted him a few minutes ago, and Adderpaw rehashed his entire idea. Her eyes were surprised when he told her, but she decided to come with him. Something about her brother and she couldn't leave him.

Adderpaw really couldn't care less. It was good that he company, but the decision was entirely his own. He didn't want to be separated from her, and if it meant relinquishing StarClan, then so be it.

"Come on," he urged, making Fawnpaw go faster. "We have to be there before sunhigh, and I want to see how the Clan's doing."

Fawnpaw agreed, her eyes brightening slightly. He figured she was thinking about her brother. The Clans were stupid for thinking that they could leave. CometClan was a part of everybody's family, and you just can't leave family. Or crushes, for that matter.

The forests were beginning to separate again, and Adderpaw was happy. He and Fawnpaw were making much better time than the Clans did earlier. Partially because he was so excited, but also because they had a lot less cats.

"I think we're about to ThunderClan territory. I don't know much about it though, so I might be wrong." The only answer to Adderpaw's words was Fawnpaw's silence. He was beginning to regret taking her, as she wasn't very fun.

"Do you want to check on the ThunderClan elders? I think I can find the camp!" Again, all he received was silence. He wondered about her previous life. He would've hated having her in his Clan. What point is having a Clanmate if they didn't talk? Not very useful.

The trees looked more and more familiar as they passed. The sun was officially up, painting the sky a beautiful collage of colors. He bounded forward eagerly, so excited to be meeting up with CometClan.

Truly, Adderpaw didn't really know what was wrong with them. Yes, they did believe in a different Clan than StarClan, which was a bit weird. And yes, they did kill off a few cats. But they were still cats, right?

The large scents of the groups intermingled with ones from CometClan. Adderpaw's ears perked up and he called to Fawnpaw. "They're here," he meowed, stalking forward into the thick underbrush.

Adderpaw found the ThunderClan camp easily. Two cats were standing guard outside a large hole ripped through the protective barrier. It was eerily silent as he padded forward.

"Who's there?" the guarding cat called, his fur bristling in anticipation. Adderpaw stepped easily into the open, staring levelly into the eyes of the CometClan camp. "Cloudfall?" the cat called, looking into the ravaged camp.

The white leader came forward, glaring at the apprentice as Fawnpaw joined Adderpaw. The WindClan apprentice couldn't draw his eyes from the bloodstains on the otherwise pure white pelt. Most of it was a dull maroon, but a few splashes on his legs were fresh. Which meant that –

"Why are you here?" Cloudfall asked quietly, not taking his eyes off of the two other apprentices. Two other cats joined Cloudfall and the guards, one of whom Adderpaw recognized as Crowfeather.

"I'm here, great Cloudfall, because I wish to join the ranks of CometClan." A wicked smile found its way upon Cloudfall's face. "Fawnpaw is here because she wants to join, too. We saw the bad ways with… StarClan." The last word was a bit hard to force out, but it seemed to please Cloudfall greatly.

The white leader nodded. "Good. Pebblefoot, Startlingflight, take them back to the camp. I have something to finish here."

Both of the guards nodded, standing up quickly. They nudged Adderpaw forward, leading him in the direction of the camp. "Keep them with the others until the ceremony," Cloudfall ordered, quickly disappearing within the brambles.

Adderpaw happily followed the two warriors. He heard a fearful yowl as he turned his back, but pushed it from his otherwise happy mind.

**Linelinelineline**

Falconkit came to what seemed like seconds later, but from the sun's position in the sky he knew it had been much longer. He was on the pebbly beach on the shore of the lake, Ivypaw hovering worriedly over him.

"You ok?" she asked, her voice dripping with concern. She prodded his side and head, watching Falconkit for any signs of a bad reaction. With her examination completed and no malignant dangers found, her emotions turned angry.

"Why did you do that?" she hissed, nearly baring her teeth. "I told you I'd come back for you, and you go into the water by yourself? It's like you had a will to die! You're lucky I had enough time to drop off Marshkit and dive under to get you. What were you thinking? I could've paid with my _life_ for that!"

Falconkit shuddered, his head hanging low to protect him from her angry stare. "I wanted to be brave… like you," he whimpered, looking into her eyes finally.

What he saw didn't ease his fear. She was still glaring at him angrily, although her mouth did soften. "Fine," she muttered. "We need to go back to camp. The fighting ended a while ago and your mother came to collect the other kits. I had to stay here for you."

Without another word, Ivypaw trotted forward. Falconkit watched for a few seconds then scrambled after her. "Did we win?" he asked, still trying to please the older she-cat.

"What kind of question is that?" she asked lightly, laughter peppering her usually tart voice. "Of course we won. A few cats died, and they lost a lot. But we did get a bunch of new recruits. FallenClan will be pleased with the offerings."

Falconkit purred happily. They were making swift progress through RiverClan's old territory, although Ivypaw kept glancing back at him in frustration. Finally, with a sigh, Ivypaw daintily grabbed Falconkit in her mouth.

She then sprinted across the territory, making much better time than they had done before. Falconkit didn't like being carried much, but she ran so _fast_. It was quite entertaining.

He soon recognized the drop that led to their island and gasped as Ivypaw hit the water. He felt the cold droplets clinging to his legs, though none reached his mouth. Falconkit was terrified of the element now that it had almost killed him.

"Falconkit?" the kit heard his mother shout out, and looked around to find her. Whitetail stood on top of the small embankment, her eyes filled with concern. When Ivypaw beached she rushed down and thanked the apprentice. "What were you thinking?" she asked, grabbing him in her mouth.

He was brought up into the main camp, where a group of cats were waiting fearfully. However, Whitetail didn't bring him any closer to them. Instead, she veered off into the nursery, where she began to clean him off. "That was stupid, Falconkit. You should've listened to Ivypaw. She's your elder, after all."

Falconkit sighed in both frustration and contempt. He tuned out Whitetail's caviling and began to think of happy thoughts.

**Linelinelineline**

Fawnpaw watched warily as she was brought into camp. There were no signs of dead bodies anywhere, and the place was surprisingly clean. The only thing she suspected was different from everyday life was the tight coterie in the center of camp. They trembled as Startlingflight walked closer to them, and Fawnpaw almost cried out.

Her young, beautiful tom had turned into a kind of monster. Never before would she have thought he would purposefully intimidate other cats and enjoy it. He looked to her as if she called her name and smiled cockily.

"You don't have to wait with them," he mewed. "You chose your destiny. They still hold stubbornly to their pitiful beliefs." She nodded slowly, taking a step towards her love. When he didn't flinch she ran to his side and pressed herself against his side.

She wasn't sure how long she held this position, but it wasn't for as long as she wanted. Cloudfall bounded into camp with Russetfur on his heels and appraised the cats before him. "There are sixteen of you today who we have decided to spare. Why, you may ask. Because FallenClan believes you can be a valuable asset to our Clan. Multiple others have been killed, but you have been spared."

Silvermoon stepped forward proudly. "What are you going to do to us?" she asked, never dropping her gaze from Cloudfall.

The white leader looked upon her happily. "We are to assimilate you into our Clan. Isn't that a good idea?" Silvermoon didn't answer, but still looked angrily at Cloudfall. "You will be very useful to us, Silvermoon. Your determination is great."

She sputtered, taking a step back into the protectiveness of the defeated group. "Follow me," Cloudfall ordered. "If you don't, I'm sure we can take you by force."

A few cats held back, but Silvermoon stepped forward almost defiantly. She followed Cloudfall, and Fawnpaw felt Startlingflight nudge her forward. The young apprentice saw Adderpaw bound happily after the group of cats, and she was almost afraid. The only thing that kept her from fainting was the thought of Startlingflight next to her. That, and Toadfoot was here somewhere.

Though a short amount of forest they went, a line. The prisoners were boxed in by a large amount of Clan cats, and they followed behind. When Fawnpaw emerged from the darker woods, the thing on the ground surprised her. She assumed it was the comet, but it was beautiful. She understood why they worshiped it now.

"Touch your nose to the comet," Cloudfall ordered. The group did so quickly, afraid of the growling CometClan cats that waited with unsheathed claws. Fawnpaw did it herself, feeling the harsh rocky surface under her cold pink nose.

"Give a blood offering to it." A lot of cats protested at that, but a sharp growl silenced them. "Do it, or die before it." Silvermoon, again to show her defiance, did it first. She kept quiet as her back claws sliced the delicate skin of her neck.

Blood spurted forward, and Fawnpaw could've sworn the comet glowed beneath her. "Good," Cloudfall praised. "Welcome into CometClan, Silvermoon."

A few other cats followed suit, and Fawnpaw could see the comet really glowing this time. She sighed in anticipation, giving a small, barely audible 'sorry' to StarClan. Fawnpaw slashed at her leg with her claws, watching intently as the blood was absorbed by the porous rock.

Cloudfall kept talking, but Fawnpaw zoned him out. She felt different somehow. Weightless, as if everything she believed in before was worth nothing now. It was, really, though. She had believed in StarClan for her entire life and it was all gone, now.

Thunderous yowling rumbled through the clearing, and it took Fawnpaw a few seconds to tune in to what it was saying. "Thornclaw, why do you not offer your sacrifice to the great CometClan?" Cloudfall bellowed, facing the warrior head on.

Thornclaw mumbled something, keeping his eyes low. He took a deep breath and locked his eyes onto Cloudfall. Then, he repeated what he said. "I refuse to give up my beliefs of StarClan. My fellow… ex-Clanmates might give up so easily, but I shall not. And when you kill me, which I know you will, I shall be greeted by my true ancestors."

The CometClan leader looked with surprise at the ThunderClan cat. "So be it," he hissed coldly. "Kill him." A few of the CometClan – _her_ Clan, Fawnpaw thought slowly – cats leapt upon the tom. Thornclaw, the brave warrior, didn't even fight as they ripped him to pieces.

As they got off of him, Fawnpaw watched the scrap of bloody fur dully. She would miss him, she realized, even though she didn't know him much.

"Let's go back to camp," Cloudfall called. Immediately, everyone followed him. Once they reached the camp, Fawnpaw studied it in more detail. This camp was now hers, after all. She saw a few kits playing near a nursery-like place, but they stopped immediately once they saw their leader.

Cloudfall jumped onto a branch, addressing the entire group. "Welcome to CometClan, new members! I hope you'll find your stay suitable." Cheers greeted his words, and Fawnpaw joined in. "Now, we had a very successful battle, and only lost a few warriors. Nothing compared to the Clans. However, both Pebblefoot and Graymist were received by FallenClan last night. May their spirits have endless joys with their ancestors."

Everyone bowed their heads, and Fawnpaw followed suit. CometClan didn't seem that different from a regular Clan. They didn't have to be feared as much as they were. "I have a proposal," Cloudfall mewed, capturing everyone's attention again. "Russetfur thought of it as we were razing the ThunderClan camp. We should send in spies."

There was complete silence. Fawnpaw was stunned. If this was one of the original Clans, there'd be uproar at his words. "I was thinking something they wouldn't suspect. A kit." Whitetail cried out at this, her long tail wrapping protectively around the five that she had.

"Of course, another cat would go with them," Cloudfall soothed. Still, Whitetail looked at him angrily. "The kit would be raised by the other cat, a complete CometClan cat. However, they'd give information to our cats."

"How?" Crowfeather called out. A few other cats in CometClan nodded at his words.

Cloudfall looked as if he expected this. "Regularly we will send out a cat to their location. They will give us information, and our cat will leave. Simple enough." Silence again. It unnerved Fawnpaw. "The lie will be simple. The cat we choose to mentor the kit will have 'escaped' with their lives and a kit. To join the Clans because CometClan was 'too vicious' for them. Any volunteers?"

Fawnpaw looked around with wide eyes. Which cat would be lucky enough to go back to the Clans? She knew it wouldn't be any of the new recruits, because they couldn't be trusted.

"I will." Every single cat looked around for the source of the voice, and Fawnpaw quickly located her. The brown she-cat sat daintily in the back of the group, staring with determination.

"Leafpool?" Cloudfall asked. "Valiant decision. You have wronged the Clans before, so this will be seen as your idea of retribution. Good idea. Now, which kit?"

Whitetail began to mewl pitifully. She loved all of her kits, Fawnpaw could see. "Choose one you think will be best for the mission, now." The queen's eyes darted between the five kits before her, crying out in pain.

"I… I choose," she was close to crying. "Falconkit. He's the best for the job," she whispered. Fawnpaw could barely hear her.

Cloudfall nodded. "Good choice. I was leaning towards Falconkit, too." He jumped off the branch. "You two will leave tomorrow at sunhigh. Sleep now, everyone, in celebration of a victory. Leafpool and Falconkit, I shall see you when you wake. You must be briefed."

Fawnpaw sighed, burying her face in Startlingflight's fur. He led her to an open space and lay down. She closed her eyes, hoping for sleep, but it was a while before it came to her troubled mind.

**Linelinelineline**

Fogpaw sighed, her paws ready to drop off. Still, she had hope. Brambleclaw had said that this was a good place to stop, and she hoped it was. Fogpaw talked privately to Mistyfoot, and the deputy mewed that this would become their new camp.

The RiverClan apprentice hoped so. She didn't think she could do anymore walking. There was a large river flowing past them, which came from a large waterfall. The deputies had gone forth themselves behind the waterfall, scouting the area for habitability.

A fish splashed loudly beneath the water, drawing her attention to it. The place was also prey-rich. The Clans would do well here.

"We can stop!" Kinkfur announced, coming out from beneath the waterfall. It is spacious enough behind the waterfall, although a tad bit wet. The place is plentiful and we shall live well here. Further back is drier, so we shall bed there!"

The remaining cats cheered. They had lost so many warriors, yet they were still cheerful. She hoped they would never lose their jovial, hopeful spirits.

The Clans moved beneath the waterfall, skirting around the powerful water. Fogpaw jumped from steppingstone to steppingstone, relishing the mist on her back. It felt good to be in the water again, instead of trekking over the hard ground. She would always be tied to the water, no matter what.

As promised, the interior was wet and covered with slimy moss and algae. However, Fogpaw loved it. It just screamed _RiverClan_. The only thing she didn't like was the darkness.

Fogpaw collapsed next to Skypaw, the two she-cats sighing as they took the weight off their paws. "Thank StarClan we're done," Skypaw whispered. Fogpaw could only nod.

**A/N: How'd you think it went? I had a beautiful idea halfway through and started incorporating it in here. Review and tell me how you liked it!**


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